Celebrating Thanksgiving as an Ahmadi Muslim

Thanksgiving is an opportunity to reflect on the blessings bestowed upon us.

Thanksgiving is a holiday celebrated here in North America. On this day people don’t have to be busy at work, schools, or colleges or somewhere else away from their families. On this day people spend time with their family and friends, paying gratitude to each other and being thankful for all they’ve done for each other. The celebrations are carried out by having parties with a special traditional meal of turkey, stuffing, and other side dishes.

Celebrating Thanksgiving as an Ahmadi Muslim[/tweetthis]

As an Ahmadi Muslim I spend each and everyday following the true teachings of Islam, the guidance for which I get from the Holy Qur’an, and the actions and the sayings of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Holy Qur’an states, “And God will certainly reward the grateful” (3:145). The importance of gratification is highlighted in another chapter as well where God, the Almighty, says, “If you are grateful, I will, surely, bestow more favors on you” (14:8). This makes me thankful to our Creator for every moment that I’m living and experiencing the blessings bestowed on me, it encourages me to be thankful to my parents who have done countless things for me which can never be explained enough in words. It inspires me to be thankful to all of my relatives for all they have done for me. It grows love in me for all my fellow beings who have even just smiled at me out of love despite any so-called differences we may hold.

A saying of the Holy prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that stays lit in my thoughts is, “One who is not grateful to others is not grateful to God.” This strengthens my belief even more that gratification to each and everyone certainly brings one closer to our Creator, our God, the One and Only. The one who follows the true teachings and understands the importance of gratitude can indeed win hearts with love and can make life worth living.

Resources

• Quran.com

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