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| Huffington Post - Ramadan Reflection Day 29: Take The Time To Thank People Who Helped You |
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This Ramadan, Imam
Khalid Latif, Executive Director and Chaplain of the Islamic Center,
will for a second year in a row be keeping a daily journal for the
Huffington Post. His twenty-eighth article, entitled "Ramadan Reflection Day 29: "Take The Time To Thank People Who Helped You" was published earlier today. To read the entire article in full, please click here Please share with your friends and networks and leave a comment on the Huffington Post website  Imam Khalid Latif is blogging his reflections during the month of Ramadan, featured daily on HuffPost Religion. For a complete record of his previous posts, click over to the Islamic Center at New York University or visit his author page, and to follow along with the rest of his reflections, sign up for an author e-mail alert above, visit his Facebook page or follow him on Twitter. Sometimes it's hard for us to realize the important role we play in the lives of those around us because we get caught up in the big things. We see the world as a dismal place because we think we don't really bring value to anyone, and most of the time we are wrong. I would argue that many of us actually do a lot for the people around us, but we have a hard time realizing how important little things are. We fail to see the benefit in the small things we do, and this in large part is due to our inability to see the all the things that take place around us that might be small in nature, but large in value. We then fail to embrace the feeling of contentment that is rendered from the appreciation of these small acts, adding more to that which prevents us from seeing what we in fact can offer. A good place to start would be with those that do for us that we sometimes overlook. "Never belittle any good deed." ~ The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him A story that I was told when I was younger involved a college student who was given an exam by his professor. The exam was quite easy and the student went through it with no issue until he reached the last question that asked, "What is the name of the woman who cleans the classrooms every day?" The student can picture the woman in his mind, as he sees her everyday. She cleans the rooms, takes out the garbage that he and other students have accumulated, and much more. But why would he know her name? He turns in the exam with that question unanswered and another student then asks the professor if that question will count towards the final grade on the exam. The professor says that of course it will. He goes on to tell the entire class that throughout their lives they will meet many different people, all of whom should be considered significant. Each one deserves attention, a smile, and acknowledgement of what they do, even if from a simple hello. The student carried that with him for quite some time and always remembered the name of that cleaning woman. We all probably have people like this in our lives. Those who we have not thanked properly or acknowledged. During Ramadan especially, there are people who have probably cooked for most us, cleaned up the bathrooms in our mosques, and spent numerous hours facilitating for us an easier Ramadan. Aside from the importance of showing appreciation towards them because its the right thing to do, understanding the role they play in our lives can help us better understand the role we play in the lives of others.....to continue reading please click here |