1. We can never count Allah's Blessings:
Be ever grateful to Allah for everything that you possess including
your wealth, health, status, intellectual abilities and life. Allah says:
"Is, then, He Who creates comparable to any that cannot create?
Will you not, then, take heed? For should you try to count Allah's blessings,
you could never compute them" (An-Nahl 16:17-19).
2. Shaytan's primary mission is to make human beings ungrateful:
From the very beginning of the human being's creation, the issue of
gratefulness and thankfulness to Allah has been debated. After refusing to bow
to Adam, Satan said: "Then I will certainly come to them from before them
and from behind them, and from the right-hand side and from the left-hand side,
and You (Allah) shall not find most of them thankful." (Al-Araf 7:17)
3- The opposite of Shukr (gratitude) is Kufr (disbelief):
In many places in the Quran, Allah compares the terms shukr and
kufr. "Then remember Me; I will
remember you. Be grateful to Me, and do not reject Me" (Al-Baqarah 2:152).
Iman (belief) implies shukr or gratefulness as opposed to kufr or
ungratefulness. A kafiror disbeliever is ungrateful to the Being Who has given
him everything, whereas a Believer is one who is ever thankful for all that
Allah has given him.
4- We thank Allah for our own benefit:
If you are ungrateful, Allah is unaffected. If you become grateful,
then you have taken the first step towards becoming a true Believer. It is for
this reason that the Prophet exhorted us to "Love Allah as we benefit from
His grace" (Tirmidhi).
Allah reminds us: " And whoever is grateful, he is only
grateful for the benefit of his own self" (Luqman 31:12). "For surely
if it was not for the grace of God on you and His mercy, you would have been
among the losers" (Al-Baqarah 2:64).
5- True worship means sincere thankfulness to Allah:
Allah explained in the Quran that the only people who truly worship
Him are those who give gratitude to Him, so those who are not among the people
of gratitude are not among the people of Ibadah (worship and obedience).
"... and be grateful to All?h, if it is Him you worship" (Al-Baqarah
2:172).
6- Shukr leads to Allah's pleasure:
Allah has told us that His pleasure may be attained through
gratitude. " If you are grateful, He is pleased with you..."
(Az-Zumar 39:7).
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Allah is
pleased with His servant if, when he eats something, he thanks Allah for it,
and when he drinks something, he thanks Allah for it" (Muslim).
7- Gratitude is a purpose of our creation:
"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: that you may give thanks (to Allah)"(An-Nahl, 16:78).
8- Shukr is a quality of success in this life and in the Hereafter:
Ibn Abbas narrated that the Prophet said: "There are four
qualities, whoever is given them has truly been given the best in this world
and the next. They are: a grateful heart (that is thankful to Allah), a
remembering tongue (that mentions Allah often), an enduring body (to persevere
through the trials), and a faithful wife."
9- Being grateful and patient in times of difficulty:
Everything that happens to us - even events that we may consider to
be personal afflictions or natural disasters-are from Allah. Therefore, in
times of calamity and distress, there will be some good for us, provided we
respond appropriately. The Prophet said:
"How wonderful is the case of a Believer! There is good for him
in whatever happens to him -and none, apart from him, enjoys this blessing. If
he receives some bounty, he is grateful to Allah and this bounty brings good to
him. And if some adversity befalls him, he is patient, and this affliction,
too, brings good to him" (Muslim).
10- Allah's Mercy is for all, but most people will remain
ungrateful:
He shows and gives mercy to all, even those who continue to be
ungrateful and rebellious towards Him: "Indeed God is the possessor of
bounty for all people but most people do not give thanks." (Al-Baqarah 2:
243).
11- Most people subconsciously thank God:
Reflect upon your own life and you will find innumerable occasions
when Allah's `hand' has been holding you and helping you. So often, believers
and even atheists subconsciously use the expression 'Thank God', without
realising the full implications of our words.
12- Shukr leads to abundance in Allah's favors:
If you appreciate Allah's favors, He has promised increased Rahma or
mercy for you. Allah's reward for your gratitude is unlimited and
unconditional. "If you are grateful, I will surely give you more and
more" (Ibrahim 14:7).
Three ways to express Shukr:
The classical Muslim scholars have indicated Shukr can be shown in
three ways:
- Shukr of the heart (Qalb), which is achieved by harboring and
intending good for all of Allah's creation.
- Shukr of the tongue (Lisan), which involves celebrating the
praises of Allah, such as utterance of Alhamdulillah, and expressing
gratefulness to Allah with our tongue.
- Shukr of the limbs (Jawarih), which is fulfilled by using our
external senses to do good. Every time Allah gives us a blessing, we must use
it in a way that benefits humanity and that pleases Allah.
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