Did you know? (Inspirational Islamic Stories)

Thanking Allah in every situation is a blessing

When Allah s.w.t. created Adam, and sent into him soul and life, he sneezed and said "Alhamdulillah" which means all praise belongs to Allah. Allah answered with "Yarhamuk-Allah" which holds the meaning Allah bestows His mercy upon you (Sahih of Ibn Hibbaan 6165).

As Muslims, we are all well aware of these words, and we try to practise praising God after we sneeze. And to reflect on this episode, these are actually the first words of the first man created - which is to thank Almighty Allah! And the first thing that happened to him was Allah's mercy on him.

This short story, however, is an important lesson for us to remember. It is the virtue of being grateful to our Lord, which is crucial in our life. No matter what we are always in need of Allah's mercy.

Prophet Sulaiman as was one of the prophets who was rich and granted a glorious kingdom to rule. He also had the ability to know the language of animals and during one time, there lived an ant. The ant had some of the best qualities such as helpfulness and was always putting the needs of her kingdom above her own.

At one time, Prophet Sulaiman as had gathered his army of jinns, humans and birds and they were marching towards the direction of the ant nest. The ant then heard that the army was approaching, and knew that they were likely to crush all of them. Being ants, they are always overlooked and barely noticeable. She informed her community of the potential disaster so that all the ants can seek refuge in their homes

With the help of Allah, the prophet then heard the tiny ant's plea. Hearing the ants talk, the prophet thanked Allah for the many blessings bestowed upon him including his ability to understand animals, and immediately commanded his troop to change course, so as to avoid destroying over the homes of the ants - all because of the plea of one single ant.

Despite his worldly powers, he never forgot Allah. He was grateful to Allah for all his gifts and he always tried to serve Allah. Prophet Sulaiman thanked Allah for His blessings on him and said that Allah brought favors upon him to test him.
(Havehalalwilltravel. Com by Amira rahmat)