Be Grateful First

My sister just bought Ustadz Nouman's book, and I read a chapter. The very first chapter was stabbing right in the heart. I am reminded. It's the story of Musa 'alaihissalam. Do you remember? When Musa 'alaihissalam just killed a man and he went to desert with absolutely nothing in his hand. No food, no cloth except the one he's wearing, no house, no job, nothing. He sat under the shade of a tree, praying to Allah,

"Rabbi inni lima anzalta ilayya min khairin faqir"
"My Lord, I am truly in great need of any good that You might send down to me" (QS Al Qasas 28:24)

Ustadz Nouman says in his book, that this du'a means, "Master, whatever you sent down my way-and this is in the past tense, I did not say whatever you 'sent' down my way: anzalta. Whatever you already sent down, I was in desperate need of it. In other words this shade and that water in front of him, that's all he gets right now. He doesn't have a house, he doesn't have food, he doesn't have anything else; and yet he is looking at all of this and telling Allah, 'Ya Allah, thank you so much for this; I desperately needed it'. In other words, before asking Allah for more, he is concentrating on what Allah has already given him."

Most the time we ask Allah something we think we need, or maybe we want. But look at Musa alaihissalam, he said his gratefulness first for everything Allah has sent upon him and now he asked for it in any kind of good Allah will be sending.

We forget to be grateful but we never forget to ask.