You have interesting points, Gulab Jamun. All living things die and it is a reminder for us to make the most of our lives and brief time and do good deeds. BUT at the same time, Allah’s creation is His artwork. It’s His masterpiece (trees, sky, stars, mountains, rain, even flowers) and He made it for** us **humans cuz He has bestowed upon us the title, The Best of Creation. He created all these beautiful things for us to NOT ONLY CONTEMPLATE SERIOUS THINGS LIKE DEATH…BUT to also appreciate and admire HIS beauty and handiwork.
The way I see it, too much of anything is NOT good. Even the Prophet SAWS advised his followers to stay in the middle ground. He encouraged them to try their best. The Prophet SAWS did not encourage perfectionism…because perfectionists don’t realize that perfectionism makes religion DIFFICULT to follow. And the Prophet SAWS told his companions that there is a time for everything. Some days your faith will be strong. Other days your faith will be weak. You will never be constant because the human heart is not constant. Even the Prophet SAWS used to have moments of playful joking. It’s best to stay in the middle.
Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The deen is easy. Anyone who makes the deen too hard on himself will find it becomes too much for him. So aim for what is right, follow a middle path**, accept the good news of the reward for right action, and seek help [to reach your goal by being constant in worshipping] in the morning, evening and some of the night."[al-Bukhari] ****
Ibn Mas’ud reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,** **“Those who make things hard for themselves will be destroyed.” He said it three times. [Muslim] **
I remember when I was in the 10th grade, we had to read this novel in English class. It was called **Hard Times **by Charles Dickens. In this story, the author has deliberately created a bleak world where absolutely no fancy, playfulness, imagination, foolishness, creativity, or emotion is encouraged or allowed. In this stifling world, based only on harsh reality and practicality, the characters eventually wither away…just like flowers. And that is because there are other dimensions to human personality and to life besides practicality. Focusing only on one aspect can be harmful.
When someone gives you a flower, don’t be sad. That flower was made by Allah to be admired by his creation (us). The fact that that flower has a SHORT LIFE SPAN…is **EVEN MORE REASON **for us to admire and appreciate its beauty and existence. That flower represents your sister-in-law’s love and appreciation for you. And that flower could be a source of money/income to some farmer trying feed his family and bring them happiness.
People even press dried flower petals into picture frames and photo albums and make potpurri.
I gave my mom a rose for V-Day. I know it’s not going to last forever. I know that my mom (as much as I lover her to death) will not live forever…BUT the smile that the flower brings to her…is PRICELESS. And even after the flower dies…the **memory **of receiving a flower will be with my mom and that memory is PRICELESS.
While it’s great to focus on practicality…it’s also healthy to admire the immense **beauty **and magic contained in the simplest of life’s gifts.
And the same can be said about** jewelry**. Jewelry is a gift that unlike the flower is NOT living. You can’t take to the grave with you. But it’s given as a gift of beauty to be appreciated and worn and admired by the object of affection. And it might be considered a waste of money by some, but it’s a way of showing appreciation for another person.
And Allah tells us to spend our money on our loved ones because then HE will spend of His bounty on us.
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]The Prophet (PBUH) said, “When someone spends on his family seeking his reward for it from Allah, it is counted as a charity from him”.
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “The most excellent dinar is one that a person spends on his family, and the dinar which he spends on his riding-animal in the way of Allah, and the dinar he spends on his companions in the way of Allah”.
[Muslim].
Enjoy your flower, Gulab Jamun. It will die like the rest of us…but there is so much beauty that it represents and gives before withering away.
There is a strange beauty in imagination, creativity, emotion, dreaming, fantasizing, letting loose, occasional extravagance, being an occasional spendthrift, and making mistakes. Of course…if you overdo any of these, it will be harmful. But a medley of these elements along with practicality makes the world go round.
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