My Dad is Always Working

Publisher: Kube Publishing Ltd, Markfield: 2022, 26pp. ISBN: 9780860378419.

Gratitude and appreciation are two of the greatest qualities that any person can be lucky to have. In fact, appreciation is an attribute of Allah mentioned in several verses of the Qur’an. Allah, Most High, says: “They will say, ‘Praise be to God, who has removed all sorrow from us! Our Lord is truly most forgiving, most appreciative” (Qur’an, 35: 34). Allah is free of all need; He does not benefit from our good deeds; He is worthy of our worship and praise, and He rewards us with something far greater than our actions deserve. Yet, He is appreciative of the smallest acts of goodness from His creation. This means that people too should live by this quality, appreciating even the smallest acts of kindness done to them by others.

However, kindness and goodness come in many different forms. Some of these are more obvious, while others often go unnoticed. This is a lesson that Abdullah learns in this story when his teacher told the class that they will be making ‘JazakAllah Khair’ cards for the person they think deserves it. Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace be upon him) taught the Muslims to return the favour when people treat them with kindness. He said: “Return the favour to whoever treats you well. If you are unable to, then pray for them” (Abu Dawud and Ibn Hibban). One of the best prayers one can make for someone is to say: ‘Jazak Allahu Khayran’, which means, “may Allah reward you with good.” In this way, one is leaving the compensation to Allah, the Most Kind, Most Generous Who can reward much greater than we could ever do.