breathe to thefood they eat, from being able to use their hands and
feet to being able to speak, from finding shelterto laughter and
happiness,they need Allah's creationsand the things He bestowson them.
However, some people fail to realize their weakness and need of Allah.
They think that everything happens spontaneously, or that they acquire
the things they possess through theirown efforts and endeavors. This
is both a grave error and also terrible ingratitude toward Allah.
These people, who are ignorant even of how to thank someone who gives
them a small gift, spend their whole lives blind to the countless
blessings that Allah bestows on them. But the fact is that the
blessings bestowed by Allah are more numerous than can ever be
counted. Allah reveals this in a verse in the Qur'an:
If you tried to number Allah's blessings, you could never count them.
Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surat an-Nahl, 18)
Being Numbered amongThose Who Give Thanks to Allah Is a Characteristic
of Believers
Various blessings that people must give thanks to Allah for are
revealed inthe Qur'an, and they are reminded to give thanks time and
time again. These blessings include the way human beings arecreated
with a regular form, their being endowedwith the senses of sight and
hearing, Allah's teaching the True Religion to them, His revelation of
verses, His purification andcleansing of believers, His forgiving
their sins when they repent, His making worship easy, His
grantingvictory over unbelievers, believers being rescued from the
oppression of theunbelievers, His settling human beings on Earth and
giving them the means by which to live, the creation of water to
drink, the products of the soil, animals being placed at human beings'
service and disposal, the fruits of the sea, adornments, the ships on
the seas and the creation of night an
d day. As revealed in verse 18 of Surat al-Nahl, " If you tried to
number Allah's blessings, you could never count them. Allah is
Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful," it is impossible to count even the
different classes of Allah's blessings, let alone those blessings one
by one.
Giving thanks for a blessing means expressingone's happiness and
gratitude and appreciatingthe value of the blessing bestowed.
Giving thanks to Allah, on the other hand, is the expression of that
gratitude in one's heart and words, knowing that all blessings belong
to Himand that all things come from Him alone. The opposite of giving
thanks, however, is expressed in the Qur'an by the term "kufr,"
meaning ingratitude. This definitionalone is enough to show what an
important observance giving thanks is in the Sight of Allah and the
terrible situation that ignoring that obligation puts a person in.
Giving thanks to Allah is revealed as an important religious
obligation in many verses of the Qur'an.The importance of giving
thanks to Allah is mentioned in some 70 verses, and examples of people
who do and do notgive thanks are cited, and their respective ends are
described. Giving thanks toAllah is a proof that indicates one's faith
in Allah and the Oneness Of Allah. In one verse, "gratitude to Allah"
is described as one of the preconditions for "worshiping Him alone":
You who believe! Eat of the good things We have provided for you and
give thanks to Allah if you worship Him alone. (Surat al-Baqara, 172)
In other verses of the Qur'an, giving thanks to Allah is mentioned
alongside serving Allah, as the opposite of ascribing equals to Him:
It has been revealed to you and those before you: 'If you associate
others with Allah, your actions will come to nothing and you will be
among the losers.'
No! Worship Allah and be among the thankful. (Surat az-Zumar, 65-66)
Believers give thanks to Allah by reflecting on theirweakness and need
for all their blessings. Wealth and property are not the only
blessings believers give thanks to Allah for. Believers, who know that
Allah is the Lord and Ruler of all things, also give thanks for their
health, beauty, knowledge, intelligence, love of faith, the way they
regard idolatry as unpleasing, their being on the true path, their
living with other immaculate believers, and for their understanding,
comprehension and foresight. They immediately give thanks to Allah for
an attractive view or when their work comes easy, when something they
desire happens, when they hear a kind word, when they see love and
respect and for many other innumerable blessings, and they reflect on
His mercy and compassion, and on how He is the Rahman and Rahim (the
All-Merciful and Most Merciful).
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