GRATITUDE TO ALLAH

According to Islam, one of our foremost duties is to be grateful to Allah for all of His blessings. We can describe three levels of thankfulness:

To realize and appreciate all blessings by and within the heart.
To say thanks with the tongue.
To express gratitude by doing righteous deeds.

There is a surah in the Noble Qur’an which, is described as “Um Al-Kitab” the mother of the Book. It is the Surah Al-Fatihah, with which every Sallah begins.

It is called “Ash-Shifah” (the Cure).

In an authentic Hadith recorded by At-Tirmidhi who graded it as Sahih, Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said: “Alhamdu lillahi Rabbil Alamin” is the mother of the Qur’an…

Allah has created us and then made this world for us. We are all aware of the knowledge that we are getting benefits from all of His creations such as the sun, moon, clouds, rain, wind, vegetation, animals, plants, rivers, oceans, and countless other bounties of the natural world!

After realizing all this abundance of Allah’s mercy, how can a sensible person be anything but thankful to Allah?

In, Chapter 55 of the Quran, titled “Surah AR-Rahman (The Lord of Mercy)” Allah asks the same question thirty-one times, “Fabiayi-Allahi Rabbikuma-tukasiban” Meaning: “Which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?”

Gratitude in Islam: The Ultimate Expression of Thanks to Allah

Our Creator and Sustainer who grants us existence and furnishes us with cognitive and emotional faculties, as well as the potential to understand and appreciate their value and benefit.

Allah says: “It is He who brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers when you knew nothing, and He gave you hearing and sight and intelligence and affection so that you may give thanks [to Allah]” (Quran An-Nahl, 16:78).

Research done by the University of California, Berkeley, has revealed that gratitude leads to a stronger immune system, healthier blood pressure, greater joy, optimism, and sense of overall well-being, acting with more generosity and compassion, and feeling less lonely and isolated (greatergood.berkeley.edu/expanding gratitude/).
Participants in the study simply recorded five things they were grateful for each day. This small exercise proved to have enormous benefits. Imagine what a permanent attitude of gratitude can accomplish!

We sleep and wake up every day,

We see because we can open our eyes

We go to work, and school and engage in various activities daily

Yet we do not show gratitude for all these blessings of Allah on us, but we focus on the shortcomings and questions Allah why we are going through those trials.

The Benefits of Being Grateful to Allah

Not only did Allah give us our very lives, He has provided a beautiful world for us to live in, with countless resources for our use. Allah says in the Quran,

“It is Allah who created the heavens and earth, who has sent down water from the sky and with it brought forth produce to nourish you; He has made ships useful to you, sailing the sea by His command, and the rivers too; He has made the sun and the moon useful to you, steady on their paths; He has made the night and day useful to you and given you some of everything you asked Him for. If you tried to count Allah’s favors you could never calculate them: man is truly unjust and ungrateful”. (Quran, 14:32-34).

Yoruba says “Bi a ba dupe ore ana, ao gba imii si”

Allah says: “If you are thankful I will add more (favors) unto you but if you show ingratitude then my punishment is terrible indeed” (14:7).

Yet another fruit of gratitude is the promise of additional blessings. “And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe’ ” (Quran, 14:7).

An attitude of gratitude has the ability to make a harsh reality seem tolerable, giving light to a gloomy disposition and dispelling negative attitudes, thoughts, and feelings with wondrous speed.

Benefits of Gratitude

…..the story of the king and his close friend.

Thanking Allah for our blessings seems obvious, but what about thanking Him even in the midst of hardship?

In the Quran, Allah reminds us: “You may dislike something although it is good for you, or like something although it is bad for you: Allah knows and you do not.” (Qur’an 2: 216).

Although a hardship seems far from “something which is good” when we are enduring it, the feeling of gratitude during the difficulty has the power to transform the burden, lighten the load, and provide a perspective that looks beyond the moment’s distress.

The test will, thus, be easier to bear, and the negative effects of the difficult situation will be offset by our determination to stay balanced and remain open to valuable lessons and opportunities to augment our Allah consciousness.

Another fruit of gratitude is the promise of additional blessings. “And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe’ ” (Quran, 14:7).

Being grateful to Allah will bring additional favors while being ungrateful calls for Allah’s punishment.

The Dangers of Ingratitude

Allah says: “The seven heavens and the earth and all who dwell in them give glory to Him. There is not a single thing that is not chanting His praise yet you cannot understand their praise. He is ever forbearing, forgiving” (Quran, 17:44).

In the Quran, Allah answers, “If you are thankful I will add more (favors) unto you but if you show ingratitude then my punishment is terrible indeed” (14:7). This verse proves that our gratitude is beneficial to us alone, and our ingratitude is harmful to us alone.

Examples of Gratitude from the Quran

Prophet Abraham Expressed His Gratitude to Allah

Allah gives us an example in the Quran, Prophet Abraham describes Allah’s blessings in the most beautiful way: “…Who created me, and He [it is who] guides me. And it is He who feeds me and gives me drink; and when I am ill, it is He who cures me; and who will cause me to die and then bring me to life; and who, I hope, will forgive me my faults on the Day of Judgment.” (Quran 26:78-85).

“We endowed Luqman with wisdom: ‘be thankful to Allah: whoever gives thanks benefits his own soul, and as for those who are thankless––Allah is self-sufficient, worthy of all praise’” (31:12).

Luqman is recognized with the title of “The wise” just because he is thankful to Allah. Luqman recognizes that Allah is the one who grants everything so therefore He is the One who deserves thankfulness. May Allah give us wisdom to give thanks for all the blessings by which we survive and thrive day after day.

How Prophet Abraham Expressed His Gratitude to Allah

Prophet Abraham describes Allah’s blessings in the most beautiful way: “…Who created me, and He [it is who] guides me. And it is He who feeds me and gives me drink; and when I am ill, it is He who cures me; and who will cause me to die and then bring me to life; and who, I hope, will forgive me my faults on the Day of Judgment.” (Quran 26:78-85).

How to Be Grateful to Allah in The Way of Prophet Solomon

Another example is that of Solomon. The Quran mentions that he said, “Oh! My Lord, enable me to be grateful for Your favor which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents and to do righteousness of which You approve. And admit me by Your mercy into [the ranks of] Your righteous servants.” (Quran 27:19)

In Chapter 4 of the Quran, Allah asks us a simple question: “Why should Allah make you suffer torment if you are thankful and believe in Him? Allah always rewards gratitude and He knows everything” (Quran, 4:147).

Prophet Muhammad (saw) stands in prayers, thanking Allah for His mercy..

Cultivating Gratitude

Let the remembrance of Allah guide you throughout the day.
Write a list at the end of each day of five things to be grateful for; keep a gratitude journal.
Practice thanking others for the simple things they do for you; write a thank you letter to someone who has impacted your life in a positive way.
Remember the people who are less fortunate than you, step into their shoes, empathize with their plight, and do something, even if small, to alleviate someone else’s difficulty.
Spend generously, regularly a part out of what Allah has blessed you with (no matter how small)
When tough times set in, focus on the positives. Things could be much worse.
Remind yourself often to adopt the attitude of gratitude and smile!

“For Verily, in the remembrance of Allah, there is peace for the heart”

May Allah swt make us ones who will always be grateful for His mercy and blessings upon us and grant us the best of this world and the hereafter, Ameen.

jzk