"Whoever among you wakes up up in the morning and is safe in his home, in good health and has enough provision for the day, it is as if he has all the good things of this world."
Muhammad, Hadith
Islam, like all religions I suppose, has its sonorous crashing cymbals and its nearly silent flutes. For all of the majestic pronouncements of God's omnipotence and eternity there are quiet discussions of a much more human and fleeting nature. Here is a definite example of the latter. The Prophet, in a famous hadith, reminds us of the simple but sometimes elusive virtue of appreciating what you have. In the Meditations Marcus Aurelius proposes that if all the stupid stuff (I'm paraphrasing) in our house that we grouse about on a daily basis suddenly disappeared we would beg the gods for it all to reappear. You could argue that it's little more than poster or shared Facebook post material, but, truthfully isn't it so much more than that, especially in a hyper-capitalist declining America which is relentlessly bombarded with the virtues of dissatisfaction; if only I had a bigger house or a newer car, then I would truly be satisfied. It's nice to take a moment to quietly celebrate the fact that things our good in my little corner of the world. Or, as my African friends would opine, my people are quiet.
Muhammad, Hadith
Islam, like all religions I suppose, has its sonorous crashing cymbals and its nearly silent flutes. For all of the majestic pronouncements of God's omnipotence and eternity there are quiet discussions of a much more human and fleeting nature. Here is a definite example of the latter. The Prophet, in a famous hadith, reminds us of the simple but sometimes elusive virtue of appreciating what you have. In the Meditations Marcus Aurelius proposes that if all the stupid stuff (I'm paraphrasing) in our house that we grouse about on a daily basis suddenly disappeared we would beg the gods for it all to reappear. You could argue that it's little more than poster or shared Facebook post material, but, truthfully isn't it so much more than that, especially in a hyper-capitalist declining America which is relentlessly bombarded with the virtues of dissatisfaction; if only I had a bigger house or a newer car, then I would truly be satisfied. It's nice to take a moment to quietly celebrate the fact that things our good in my little corner of the world. Or, as my African friends would opine, my people are quiet.
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