By Imam Zaid Shakir
In The Name of God, Most Gracious, Most MercifulIf you express gratitude for my blessings, I will increase you in them. [Al-Qur’an 14:7]
The failings of humans in the aftermath of the destruction wreaked by Hurricane Katrina are many. Unfortunately, they are too easy to identify. On the other hand, there are many blessings, which the situation along the Gulf shore serves to highlight. Most of those blessings are things we take for granted. They often times go unnoticed, and therefore, unappreciated. In light of the difficulties facing so many of our fellow citizens in the affected areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, we should all take time to thank God for His many and abundant blessings.
First of all, let us thank God that He inspired so many people to risk their lives and health to save thousands of individuals who were trapped in New Orleans and elsewhere. Let us thank God for the kind souls who have opened their hearts and homes to receive those who have been misplaced by the storm. Let us thank God for the countless merciful souls who are inspired to spend their money to assist those who have been displaced from their homes. Let us thank God for those working tirelessly to connect lost children, the elderly, and physically challenged with their families.
When we awake in the morning and the lights come on to guide us around the house as we prepare to start our day, let us thank God. When we relieve ourselves and we find the means to remove our waste far from our homes let us thank God. When we drive by our rivers and streams, and find that most of them are not soiled by untreated raw sewage let us thank God. When we return home to warm meals, a clean change of clothes, and loving, intact families, let us thank God.
As we survey the aftermath of the storm let us thank God that the devastation was not worse. What would the damage had been had not Katrina weakened from a Category 5 storm to a Category 4 just before making landfall? What would the damage had been if the eye of the storm had passed directly over New Orleans, instead of turning towards less populated areas? What would have resulted if the flooding in New Orleans had been immediate and occurred at the height of the storm, in the middle of the night as people slept or were surrounded by total darkness? Let us thank God that so far the death toll in Louisiana is in the hundreds and not the thousands as predicted.
Let us thank God for blessing the overwhelming majority of us with health, sustenance, services, homes, and family. Let us thank God for showering His Mercy upon us in ways great and small. Let us thank God for blessing us to understand a purpose for our lives at a time when many are spiritually lost. This latter point is a blessing of unimaginable import.
Finally, let us be pleased with God’s Decree no matter what it contains, for no matter what it contains, His Decree brings good for the believer. Let us also thank God for the gift of faith. Faith allows us to deal with the calamities of this world with dignity and composure. Our Noble Prophet reminds us,
Truly amazing is the affair of the believer. His affair only contains good.
That realization only occurs for the believer.
If he is blessed with good he thanks God and in that there is good.
And if he is afflicted with difficulty he patiently endures and in that there is good.
Sahih Muslim #7425
What You Can Do
1. Ramadan is coming. This is a month of charity and giving. Every Muslim, young and old should set aside a dollar a day for each day of the fast. At the end of the month, Muslims in a single area or those who frequent a particular Mosque should pool their monies and send them to a reputable relief organization that is working with the survivors of the Gulf disaster. The money can also be given directly to displaced storm survivors who have settled in your area. The names and addresses of such individuals can be obtained from one’s local Red Cross, or City Hall.
We can recommend that you send the money gathered at the end of Ramadan to: Islamic Relief / PO Box 6098 / Burbank, CA 91510 / 888.479.4968 / Tax ID #95-4453134.
2. The Night of Power (Laytul-Qadr), 27 Ramadan, is one of our most blessed nights. Usually, the mosques are full on that night. We should undertake fundraisers in every Mosque in America on that blessed night and donate the proceeds to the survivors of Katrina.
3. Zakat, our binding annual charity, is usually given in Ramadan. There are valid Islamic opinions that this money can be given to non-Muslims in the category of “those whose hearts can be favorably disposed towards Islam (Mu’allafa Qulubuhum).” For those who do not accept this opinion, there are many Muslims who lost everything in the aftermath of the storm. We will endeavor to develop a list of their names and a means to get money to them. We should all donate a percentage, if not all, of our annual Zakat to those affected by the storm and its aftermath.
These are practical measures within all of our means, God-willing. We should rise to the occasion and show this country the good that is in our community. Resolve to undertake one or all of these measures now. May God bless you and bless all of those legions of good, ordinary people who have shown extraordinary kindness and courage in assisting those affected by the great disaster that has afflicted the Gulf coast of this country.
Imam Zaid Shakir
