Syed Shamshad Nasir, Missionary, USA
Muhammed Ahmad Sahib of Detroit reports that the Thanksgiving Day is an annual national holiday in the USA, celebrating the harvest and other blessings of the past year. The holiday is often the busiest day of the year, as family members gather together.
Thanksgiving Day was celebrated this year on 26 November 2020. This year, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, travel and other activities were relatively limited compared to previous years.
On the evening of 25 November 2020, a night before Thanksgiving, Syed Shamshad Nasir Sahib, Regional Missionary of the Midwest region, delivered a dars on the topic of how to be truly thankful in light of what the Holy Quran as well as the Ahadith of the Holy Prophetsa teach us in this regard.
Shamshad Nasir Sahib started by providing a quick reminder of the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday that many families would be together with their loved ones, preparing and eating the traditional feast. While this is one way to celebrate the holiday, we must look into the Holy Quran as well as the life of the Holy Prophetsa, as to what they taught us to be thankful to Almighty Allah for, Who provided us everything.
Shamshad Sahib quoted various verses of the Holy Quran in this regard.
رَبِّ اَوۡزِعۡنِیۡۤ اَنۡ اَشۡکُرَ نِعۡمَتَکَ الَّتِیۡۤ اَنۡعَمۡتَ عَلَیَّ وَ عَلٰی وَالِدَیَّ وَ اَنۡ اَعۡمَلَ صَالِحًا تَرۡضٰٮہُ وَ اَدۡخِلۡنِیۡ بِرَحۡمَتِکَ فِیۡ عِبَادِکَ الصّٰلِحِیۡنَ
“My Lord, grant me [the will and power] to be grateful for Thy favour which Thou hast bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and to do [such] good works as would please Thee, and admit me, by Thy mercy, among Thy righteous servants.” (Surah al-Naml, Ch.27: V.20)
The above prayer was taught by the Almighty Allah to Hazrat Solomonas.
Shamshad Sahib continued by stating that truly, God is Gracious to all people, yet the majority of us are not grateful to Allah. If one wants the blessings of Allah, he must be grateful to Allah for His favours. The one who is not grateful to the people, is not grateful to Allah.
At the end, an example was given of the Holy Prophetsa who used to always praise and be thankful to his wife Hazrat Khadijahra. He used to remember her and would say that she was the first one who accepted him and gave comfort to him during the most strenuous of times. When people deprived him of money, she gave him money.
Listeners were reminded to be thankful to Allah and worship Him alone as this is another important way to be thankful to God and this was the way of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
They were also reminded of the fact that many people look to be fed on this day and if anyone in one’s neighborhood needs help or is needy, then they must be offered help. This should not only be limited to today, but in this hard time, one should look to help others as that will also be a form of thanksgiving.
May Allah guide and help us so that we can be truly grateful to Him for all the blessings and bounties He has bestowed upon us. Amin