Various times in the Qur'an, Allah SWT reveals such integral qualities of Al Insaan - Mankind which only Al Khaaliq - The Creator can. Allah SWT describes human beings as ungrateful, hasty, impatient, unfair, stingy. He SWT calls them ignorant, argumentative, wrongful and transgressive. He says mankind has been created weak, in difficulty and constant struggle. لا ريب فيه No doubt that Al Musawwir - The Fashioner has spoken the truth about His Creation. At first, I used to feel that Allah is mentioning these qualities to express His disappointment with us humans when it comes to fulfillment of His Rights - Huqooq ullaah. How we fail to display sabr, shukr towards our Rabb and how we constantly fail to fulfill our duties as His slaves. But the more I think about it, the more I realise that it's not limited to Huqooq ullaah, but also extends to Huqooq ul Ibaad - Right of His servants over one another. From my own experiences and of those around me, I have realised that we humans, especially women, often feel unappreciated. We feel like we do thankless jobs for ungrateful people. It's as if we are surrounded by impatient people, who can't seem to empathise with us. They are ignorant, unfair and how they love to argue! But here's the thing. When Allah SWT describes mankind, He does not mention any exceptions. That means it is ALL humans, including me. How often do I think if the other person feels appreciated? Do I not lose my patience and say something I should not have said? If someone has a weak moment and makes a mistake, do I not judge them? Am I always fair in my dealings? Do I never cross boundaries? Do I readily forgive? The people around me have certain rights over me - Huqooq ul Ibaad. Do I make sure that I am fulfilling all those rights? Am I as a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother, an in-law, a relative, a friend, a teacher, a student, a neighbour - giving the others their due rights? Or am I only concerned with the rights I have over others? When Our Creator says that He has created us with some attributes, there is no way that we can be separated from them. We can manage them sure, but we can never disassociate ourselves from them. We are all in a constant struggle with our Nafs. It's a work in progress. But everyone is trying. And we need to appreciate that effort. These aayaat teach me this much-required empathy and tolerance towards others and introspection of my own faults. It teaches me to be more accepting - with others, of their struggle and with myself, of my mistakes. And they also teach me to slowly but surely, steer my expectations away from the creation and towards The Creator. Because... Man is ungrateful and ignorant, but Allah is Ash-Shakoor, The Most Appreciative and Al-Muhsee, The All-Enumerating. Man is impatient and hasty, but Allah is Al-Haleem, The Most Forbearing and As-Saboor, The Most Patient. Man is stingy, but Allah is Al-Mughnee, The Enricher and Al-Wasee', The Limitless. Man is unfair and judgemental, but Allah is Al-Hakm and Al-Adl, The Most Impartial and Just Judge. Man is unforgiving, but Allah is Al-Afuww, The Pardoner and Al-Ghafoor, The All-Forgiving. Man is weak, but Allah is Al-Qawiyy, The All-Strong and Al-Azeez, The Almighty. Man is imperfect, but our Rabb is As-Salaam, The Most Perfect.