Never Criticize a Blessing

DAILYREFLECTION

Imagine a person who never once complained about a meal.
Not about the salt, the texture, the spice level, or the presentation.

Now imagine that person had the power to receive any dish, from any kitchen, at any time. Yet he still never spoke a word of criticism about food.

That is our Prophet ﷺ.
Whether a poor companion offered him their one simple dish, or one of his noble wives prepared a meal at home, he received it with gratitude. He ate if he wished, and if he did not, he quietly left it. This is not just a story about good manners at the table. It is a training of the heart.

The hadith tells us that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ never criticized food. He did not shame the one who cooked. He did not comment on taste. He simply honored the blessing or left it without complaint.

Many of us live in a world of reviews and ratings. We rate restaurants, drivers, products, even masjid iftars. The habit slips into our daily life so deeply that we forget what our comments are actually doing to us. Every time we complain about food, we are not only judging a dish. We are also weakening our sense of shukr.

Dale Carnegie begins How to Win Friends and Influence People with one core rule: “Never criticize, condemn, or complain.” He framed it as a strategy for human relationships. Yet the Sunnah had already given us something higher, a way of relating to Allah through what reaches our plate.

When we stop judging everything, we start receiving everything.

Modern research is beginning to catch up with this wisdom.
Neuroscientists note that repeated complaining strengthens the neural pathways for negativity. The more we voice criticism, the easier it becomes for the brain to default to fault-finding. Over time, this can make us more pessimistic and more stressed, not only in one area but across life.

On the other side, gratitude interventions, even something as simple as writing down a few things we are thankful for each day, consistently show improvements in mental health. Large reviews of dozens of clinical trials have found that structured gratitude practices increase positive mood, life satisfaction, and overall mental well-being, while reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression.

The heart that says “alhamdulillah” often is not just spiritually healthier. It is also calmer, more resilient, and less dominated by stress.

Now return to the plate in front of us. Every morsel we eat, every thread of clothing on our body, arrived by the permission of Allah. Not a single grain of rice or drop of water reaches us except through His will and His distribution of provision.

So when we say, “This is terrible,” or “Why is there never enough variety at home,” whom are we really speaking about?
The cook.
Ourselves.
Or the One who allowed that food to reach us at all.

This is not a call to silence in every context. There are times when honest feedback is needed for health, safety, or learning. The Sunnah is not fake politeness. It is a refusal to let the tongue turn against the gifts of Allah.

We can still say, “JazakAllahu khayran, this was kind of you,” even if we eat less of it.
We can still quietly adjust the salt on our own plate without announcing the flaw to everyone else.

The shift we are aiming for is this:
From “What is wrong with this food”
to “What is right about this blessing.”

If we practice that at the table, it will begin to spill into other areas.
How we talk about our home.
Our job.
Our spouse.
Our body.

Each complaint trains the heart to see shortage.
Each sincere “alhamdulillah” trains the heart to see care.

A simple practice for the coming days:

1. Before your first bite, pause and say “Alhamdulillah” with presence, not out of habit alone.

2. During the meal, catch yourself before any negative comment about the food. If you were about to critique, replace it with a private dua for the one who prepared it.

3. After the meal, say “Alhamdulillah alladhi at’amana wa saqana” and spend a brief moment thinking of someone who does not know where their next meal will come from.

This is not about guilt. It is about clarity.
We live in a time where many of our brothers and sisters eat under bombardment, siege, or poverty. Their plates are thin, yet their “alhamdulillah” often rings deeper than ours.

If we learn to honor a plate of simple rice with sincere gratitude, we are not lowering our standards. We are raising our hearts.

The Prophet ﷺ could have dined like a king.
Instead, he chose to be a grateful servant.

REFLECT ON THIS:

When was the last time I complained about something that many people are begging Allah to have, and what would it look like to replace that exact complaint with a sincere “alhamdulillah” instead?

^{Share your reflections in the poll at the end of the email.}

WATERMELONWATCH

• UNRWA says the situation in Gaza remains catastrophic, with about 90 percent of people relying on aid and many surviving on one meal a day while thousands of food trucks remain blocked at the crossings. Local aid workers and community volunteers are still organizing distribution points in shelters, keeping basic food and medical lifelines open despite severe shortages.

• Al Jazeera’s liveblog reports that Israeli attacks on Gaza have continued even after a formal ceasefire framework, with the UN noting hundreds killed and injured since it was announced. At the same time, the UN Security Council has authorized an international stabilization force for Gaza, which many human rights advocates hope can be used to push for real protection of civilians and unimpeded aid.

• Egypt confirms it is ready to host an international conference on early recovery and reconstruction, while Türkiye sets out plans to help rebuild Gaza’s shattered infrastructure after a fragile ceasefire. These talks are early steps, but they signal that regional states and donors are preparing long term support for homes, hospitals and power networks once large scale rebuilding can safely begin.

• Al Jazeera argues that rebuilding Gaza must begin with education, as Palestinian teachers and UN agencies plan how to restore schooling for a generation that has already lost over a year of learning. Researchers working with UNRWA warn of deep trauma and learning loss, but they also describe teachers and students who are determined to restart lessons anywhere they can, even in damaged classrooms and temporary shelters.

• UNICEF shares testimonies from families in tents who still create small routines of play, prayer and storytelling to protect their children’s sense of normal life. Writers and cultural workers echo this in new essays on Palestinian art and literature, stressing that Gaza’s culture and language are not only surviving but will be central to healing children and rebuilding community when the siege finally lifts.

QURANCORNER

Each day, you’ll be introduced to one of the 300 most common Qur’anic words. The Qur’an has about 77,430 words in total, all built on just 2,000 root words. By learning these frequently recurring ones, you’ll recognize 70–80% of the Qur’an’s vocabulary and begin connecting more deeply as you read.

Mādhā (ماذا) — What / What is it that…

Formed from mā (ما) meaning what and dhā (ذا) meaning this, mādhā is a question that demands attention. In the Qur’an, it appears in moments that challenge the listener to think deeply: mādhā qāla rabbukum? What did your Lord say?

It is the spark that ignites awareness, a reminder that faith is not blind, it calls us to ask, to listen, and to act on the answers we are given.