Need a Blessing?* [[-Final Episode-]]

 *Need a Blessing?*

[[-Final Episode-]]
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بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

The Quran and Sunnah consistently warn that certain actions act as a canker, eating away at Allah's blessings in our lives until what remains is an empty shell—a life that may look prosperous on the outside but is barren and troubled on the inside.

Today, a husband capriciously favoring one wife over another, a father showering love on some children while neglecting others, or a stepmother maltreating a child entrusted to her care. These are not mere social sickness; they are direct violations of the trust (Amanah) placed by Allah (swt).

This reminds me,

Umar was a man blessed abundantly. He had built a successful business from the ground up, and was married to two women. Aisha, his first wife, was the mother of his two eldest sons. She was gentle and devout. His second wife, Fatima, was younger, and it was her son who had captured Umar's heart entirely.

The injustice began subtly. Fatima’s son received the best gifts, the most lavish praise, and was excused from any wrongdoing. Aisha’s sons, Hassan and Yusuf, were treated with cool indifference, their achievements met with a mere nod, their mistakes magnified. Umar’s heart had become a kingdom of favoritism.

Aisha bore her pain with silent patience, praying fervently for her husband's heart to soften. But Hassan and Yusuf, young men with growing anger, watched their father's injustice with simmering resentment.

The final stroke of injustice came when Umar decided the leadership of his thriving textile business would go to Fatima’s young son, bypassing the hardworking and capable Hassan. The family was shattered.

It was as if a divine faucet was turned off. The Barakah began to vanish.

Umar’s business started to falter. A major contract he had relied on for years was unexpectedly canceled. The quality of his textiles, once renowned, began to suffer from inexplicable production errors. The wealth was still there, but it was now coupled with constant stress and anxiety.

The climax arrived during a Friday prayer. Umar, now weary and troubled, was at the mosque. Meanwhile, back at his warehouse, a forgotten electrical fault, which Hassan had warned him about weeks prior but was ignored, sparked a flame. The fire, fed by rolls of expensive fabric, raged through his warehouse. The community watched in horror as Umar’s life’s work was consumed by flames.

Standing in the smoke and ashes, Umar looked at the faces of his family gathered at the scene. Aisha (the first wife) was weeping for the lost luxury. But Umar's gaze fell upon Fatima (the second wife) and her son, their faces looked as if they were presented an expensive gift. Umar saw Hassan and Yusuf, their faces showing not grief, but a grim, resigned justice.

In that moment of utter desolation, the words of the Hadith Qudsi echoed in Umar's soul, as if spoken directly to him:

"O My servants, I have forbidden oppression for Myself and have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another..."

The fire did not start that day. It had started the day he first allowed injustice to enter his heart. The flames that consumed his warehouse were merely the physical manifestation of the blessings that had already been burned away by his own actions. He had everything, and by being unjust, he was left with nothing.