A practical piece of advice by Sh. Husain Al Bahrani
Be informed that anything big dwarves when compared to something bigger. Anything hard dwarves when compared to something harder.
One who is pricked by a thorn then bitten by a scorpion sees the thorn as nothing compared with the sting of the scorpion, something not worth mentioning at all.
The Creator (swt) has subdued everything by creating something else higher than it.
Take a look Amir Al Mu'mineen Ali (as), his might and prowess, his attainment of the extreme limit of perfection, and how he humbles himself when the name Muhammad (saw) is mentioned, admitting that he is his slave. Says the Imam (as), 'I am one of the slaves of Muhammad (saw)' [Al Kafi, vol. 1 p. 89]
Such is the tangible principle about everything possible in existence.
So if you want to think less of the life of this world and its hardships, take a look at what is harder.
Imagine if you add to your hardship another hardship much harder for you; what would you then? It is then that everything becomes easy when compared to what is harder.
And it is then that you will count your blessings and say, 'Praise be to Allah who did not expose me to a hardship! Had He so willed, He would have done just that!'
Likewise, if you wish to appreciate a good deed which you have done so as to rid yourself of the elation, which is the substance of conceit and bragging, compare this good deed with others undertaken by those who are higher in status, those who are better than you.
Or suppose you are elevated in your status, you will then see such a good deed as wrong and as indicative of your shortcoming, so you need to apologise for it. You will feel ashamed of being associated with it, let alone being proud of and elated about it.
Hence the key points to remember:
* always remember the 'being bitten by a thorn and being bitten by a scorpion principle' principle
* always imagine to add to your hardship another hardship much harder for you, that way, your hardship will seem insignificant
* and finally count all your blessings
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