By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
20 April
2023
Whenever I
feel down in the dumps, it's one of the Masnavis or quotes by the great Rumi
that comes to pull me out of the morass. One such gem of a thought is: Giving
thanks for abundance is sweeter than the abundance itself.
One should
be aware of the context of this beautiful thought. Jalaluddin Rumi and
Shams-e-Tabriz were soulmates. Shams was older than Rumi by 22 years as the
former was born in 1185 CE and the latter in 1207 CE.
Shams had
the habit of suddenly disappearing without intimating Rumi. When he did this
for the first time, Rumi went mad and he stopped eating. Shams came back after
a fortnight. The overjoyed Rumi hugged him and thanked god as well as Shams for
returning. He told Shams that while he was elated to see him, his palms got
automatically clasped ( Nighafat in Pahalavi) to thank the Almighty for
bringing Shams back. What a beautiful expression, Nighafat! A natural desire
and an involuntary action to be grateful for whatever one has. And this
spontaneous sense of gratitude exceeds the abundance one has.
During
Ramzan or Lent, the importance of showing gratitude to Allah or the Universe is
particularly common and emphasised. Et bent minkoor dee ben abli ( to be
grateful is to be plentiful) is a Turkish adage that articulates the value of
being thankful.
The ambit
of gratitude is wider than one can think of. To be thankful to fellow humans is
also gratitude and an exercise in universal connectivity. Mansoor al-Hallaj
showed his thankfulness to those who were peeling his skin off. Sufi Sarmast
held the blade of the sword and thanked his executioner.
Psychologists
believe that ever gratefulness can help one get rid of many hidden ailments. A
sense of gratitude fills the heart with an all-pervasive blissfulness, so much
so that even material abundance pales in comparison.
Gratitude
is a magnet that attracts greater abundance.
To be
thankful is to be conscious of all that you've. It's a key to existence and the
essence of transcendence.
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A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul
is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He
has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several
languages including Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/thanks-abundance-sweeter/d/129608