Are you dismayed when you find that others forget your favours or disregard your kind acts? Some people might even despise you and make you an enemy for no other reasons than that you have shown them kindness.The characteristic of ingratitude is indeed widespread among human beings.And they could not find any cause to bear a grudge, except that Allah and His Messenger had enriched them of His Bounty (Al-Tawbah 9:74)
On a side note:
From personal experience, during our school days, Im sure that sometimes you can sense that there was personal jealousy against yourself by a group of people. They just simply hate the fact that you can continously smile even though they make fun of you, or the fact that you more popular in class, or maybe simply that you can understand a particular subject better. Ironically, when we still wish to be friends with them or when we just brushed their mockery away, its seems as if they became more angry and jealous!
Nevertheless as a Muslim, I always tried my best to requite their bad actions with a good one. That's because I value friendship alot.
"A good action and a bad action are not the same. Requite the bad with something better and, if there is enmity between you and someone else, he will become like a bosom friend! (Fussilat 41:34)
InsyaAllah, we can remain as friends, and not enemies yeah. Amin2!
Coming back to the topic:
It is common for us to hear the story of a mother and her son which repeat throughout history: The mother raised her son, fed him, clothed him, and taught him; she would stay at nights so that her son could sleep, stay hungry so that her son could eat, and toil so that her son could feel comfort. And when the son become older and stronger, he rewarded her mother with disobedience, disrespect and contempt.
Be at peace if you are requited with ungratefulness from your "friend", for the good you have done. This is NOT to say that you should refrain from performing acts of kindness towards others; the point is that you should be mentally prepared for ingratitude. Afterall, the ungrateful person cannot really harm you.
"We feed you for the sake of Allah alone: No reward do we desire from you, nor thanks. (Al-Insan 76:9)
The solution: Performs acts of charity seeking solely for Allah's pleasure. Surely Allah will reward you for your good deeds and intentions.
"And when harm touches a person, he invokes Allah, lying down on his side or sitting or standing. But when We have removed his harm from him, he passes on his way as if he had never invoked Allah for a harm that touched him!" (Yunus 10:12)
Hence, do not be in a state of agitation if you gives someone a pen as a gift and he or she uses it to satirize you, or if you give someone a walking stick to lean upon and he strikes you with it.
Most human beings are ungrateful to their Lord, so what kind of treatment should you and I expect.
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(Editor's note: Read the article about "Friendship in Islam" to understand the true value of friendship)
Acknowledgement:
-Holy Quran
-Sheikh `A'id Abdullah Al-Qarni in his book, Do not Be Sad