1a] How can a Muslim thank his Lord for His many blessings?

1a]
O Allaah help me to remember You, thank You and worship You properly.”
Narrated by Abu Dawood (1522) and al-Nasaa’i (1303); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.
Gratitude for blessings is acause of them being increased, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: ‘If you give thanks (by accepting Faith and worshipping none but Allaah), I will give you more (of My Blessings); but if you are thankless (i.e. disbelievers), verily, My punishment is indeed severe’”
[Ibraaheem 14:7]
Fourthly:
How can a person thank his Lord for His great blessings? His gratitude should fulfil all the necessary conditions, which are gratitude of theheart, gratitude of the tongue and gratitude of the physical faculties.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaahhave mercy on him) said:
Gratitude may be in the heart, in submission and humility; on the tongue, in praise and acknowledgement; and inthe physical faculties, by means of obedience and submission.
Madaarij al-Saalikeen (2/246)
The details of that:
1.
Gratitude of the heart: what is meant is that the heart senses the value of the blessings that Allaah has bestowed upon His slave, and fully acknowledges that the one who has bestowed these great blessings is Allaah alone, with no partner or associate. Allaah says (interpretationof the meaning):
“And whatever of blessings and good thingsyou have, it is from Allaah”
[al-Nahl 16:53].
This acknowledgement is not mustahabb, rather it is obligatory. Whoever attributes these blessings to anyone other than Allaah has disbelieved.
Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahmaan al-Sa’di (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
What man should do is attribute blessings to Allaah and acknowledge them fully. Thus he will attain complete Tawheed.Whoever denies the blessings of Allaah in his heart or on his tongue, is a kaafir and has nothing to do with Islam.
Whoever affirms in his heart that all blessings come from Allaah alone, but verbally he sometimes attributes them to Allaah and sometimes attributes them to himself, or his actions, or the efforts of someone else -- as happens on the lips of many people -- this is something that the person must repent from, and he should not attribute blessings to anyone except their Creator, and he must strive to make himself do that, because faith and Tawheed cannot be attained except by attributing blessings to Allaah.
The gratitude which is thehead of faith is based on three pillars: acknowledgement of the heart of all the blessings that Allaah has bestowed upon him, and upon others, and talking about them; praising Allaah for them; and using them to obey the One Who bestowed the blessings and to worship Him.
Al-Qawl al-Sadeed fi Maqaasid al-Tawheed (p. 140)
Allaah says, describing thesituation of one who denies attribution of blessings to Allaah (interpretation of the meaning):
“They recognise the Grace of Allaah, yet they deny it (by worshipping others besides Allaah) and most of them are disbelievers (deny the Prophethood ofMuhammad صلىالله عليه وسلم)”
[al-Nahl 16:83].
Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
i.e., they acknowledge that Allaah is the one whogrants them that, and He is the one who bestows that favour upon them, yet despite that they denyit, and worship others alongside Him, and attribute victory and provision to someone other than Him.
Tafseer Ibn Katheer (4/592).
2.
As for gratitude of the tongue, it means acknowledging verbally - after believing in the heart- that the one who grants blessing is indeed Allaah, and keeping the tongue busy with praise of Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted.
Allaah says, explaining Hisblessings to His slave Muhammad (blessings Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him): “And He foundyou poor and made you rich (self‑sufficient with self‑contentment)?” [al-Duha 93:8]. Then He reminded him in return for that: “And proclaim the Grace of your Lord (i.e.the Prophethood and all other Graces)” [al-Duha 93:11].
Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
i.e., as you were poor and in need, then Allaah madeyou rich and independent of means: then speak of the blessing of Allaah bestowed upon you.
Tafseer Ibn Katheer (8/427).
It was narrated that Anas ibn Maalik said: the Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah is pleased with a person who eats some food and then praises Himfor it, or who drinks some drink and then praises Him for it.”
Narrated by Muslim (2734).
Abu’l-‘Abbaas al-Qurtubi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Praise here means gratitude, and we have seen above that praise may take the place of gratitude but gratitude may not take the place of praise. This indicates that gratitude for blessings -- even if they are few :->/ - - - :-> Transtors: 1.http://free-translation.imtranslator.net/lowres.asp 2.http://translate.google.com/m?twu=1&hl=en&vi=m&sl=auto&tl=en

1] How can a Muslim thank his Lord for His many blessings?

1]
What are the best ways a muslim can thank Allah for all the blessings HE hasbestowed on us.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Thanks or gratitude means reciprocating kindness and giving praise to the one who hasdone good and kind things. The one who is most deserving of thanks and praise from people is Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, because of the great favours and blessings thatHe has bestowed upon Hisslaves in both spiritual and worldly terms. Allaah has commanded us to give thanks to Him for those blessings, and not to deny them. He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Therefore remember Me (by praying, glorifying). I will remember you, and be grateful to Me (for My countless Favours on you)and never be ungrateful to Me”
[al-Baqarah 2:152]
Secondly:
The greatest ones who obeyed this command, and gave thanks to their Lord until they deserved to be described as shaakir and shakoor (thankful) are the Prophets and Messengers (blessings andpeace of Allaah be upon him).
Allaah says (interpretationof the meaning):
“Verily, Ibraaheem (Abraham) was an Ummah (a leader having all the good righteous qualities), or a nation, obedient to Allaah, Haneef(i.e. to worship none but Allaah), and he was not one of those who were Al‑Mushrikoon (polytheists, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allaah, and those who joined partnerswith Allaah).
121. (He was) thankful forHis (Allaah’s) Favours. He (Allaah) chose him (as an intimate friend) and guided him to a Straight Path (Islamic Monotheism — neither Judaism nor Christianity)”
[al-Nahl 16:120, 121]
“O offspring of those whom We carried (in the ship) with Nûh (Noah)! Verily, he was a grateful slave”
[al-Isra’ 17:3]
Thirdly:
Allaah has mentioned some of the blessings thatHe has bestowed upon Hisslaves, and has commanded them to be grateful for them, and hastold us that few of His slaves give thanks to Him:
Allaah says (interpretationof the meaning):
1.
“O you who believe (in the Oneness of Allaah — Islamic Monotheism)! Eat of the lawful things that We have provided you with, and be grateful to Allaah, if it is indeed He Whom you worship”
[al-Baqarah 2:172]
2.
“And surely, We gave you authority on the earth and appointed for you therein provisions (for your life). Little thanks do you give”
[al-A’raaf 7:10]
3.
“And among His Signs is this, that He sends the winds as glad tidings, giving you a taste of His Mercy (i.e. rain), and that the ships may sail at His Command, and that you may seek of His Bounty, inorder that you may be thankful”
[al-Room 31:46]
4.
Among spiritual blessings,He mentions (interpretation of the meaning):
“O you who believe! When you intend to offer As-Salaah (the prayer), wash your faces and your hands (forearms) up to the elbows, rub (by passing wet hands over) your heads, and (wash) your feet up to the ankles.If you are in a state of Janaaba (i.e. after a sexualdischarge), purify yourselves (bathe your whole body). But if you are ill or on a journey, or any of you comes after answering the call of nature, or you have been in contact with women (i.e. sexual intercourse), and you find no water, then perform Tayammumwith clean earth and rub therewith your faces and hands. Allaah does not want to place you in difficulty, but He wants to purify you, and to complete His Favour to you that you may be thankful”
[al-Maa’idah 5:6]
and there are many other blessings. We have only mentioned some of these blessings here; listing all of them is impossible, as Allaah says (interpretationof the meaning):
“And He gave you of all that you asked for, and if you count the Blessings ofAllaah, never will you be able to count them. Verily,man is indeed an extremewrongdoer, a disbeliever (an extreme ingrate who denies Allaah’s Blessings by disbelief, and by worshipping others besides Allaah, and by disobeying Allaah and His Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم)”
[Ibraaheem 14:34]
Then Allaah blessed us and forgave us our shortcomings in giving thanks for these blessings.He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And if you would count the Favours of Allaah, never could you be able to count them. Truly, Allaah is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”
[al-Nahl 16:18]
The Muslim is always asking his Lord to help him to give thanks to Him, because were it not for Allaah’s helping His slave, he would not be able to give thanks. Henceit is prescribed in the saheeh Sunnah to ask for help from Allaah to give thanks to Him.
It was narrated from Mu’aadh ibn Jabal that theMessenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) took his hand and said: “O Mu’aadh, by Allaah I love you, by Allaah I love you.”Then he said, “I advise you, O Mu’aadh, do not fail following every prayerto say: O Allaah help me to remember You,/ - - - :-> Transtors: 1.http://free-translation.imtranslator.net/lowres.asp 2.http://translate.google.com/m?twu=1&hl=en&vi=m&sl=auto&tl=en

5a] Our attitude towards the differences of opinion among the imams with regard to covering the face

5a]
The one who does not have any knowledge should ask the scholars, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “So ask of those who know the Scripture, if you know not” [al-Nahl 16:43]. He should ask one who he thinks has more knowledge and is more religiously committed, butthat does not mean that doing so obligatory, because the one who is better may make a mistake with regard to a particular issue, and the one who is regarded as less knowledgeable may be right with regard to it. But priority should be given to following the one who is more knowledgeable and more religiously committed.
See also the answers to questions no. 8294 and 10645 .
Thirdly:
If you ask about our view on the issue of covering the face, the most correct scholarly view in our opinion is that it is obligatory to cover the face in front of non-mahram men. There is a great deal of evidenceand scholarly views concerning that, as among the Maalikis. Many of them said that it is not permissible for a woman to uncover her face in front of non-mahram men, not because it is ‘awrah but because uncovering it runs the riskof fitnah. But some of them think that it is ‘awrah. Hence women, in their view, are forbidden to go out in front of non-mahram men with their faces uncovered.
Allaah says (interpretationof the meaning):
“And when you ask (his wives) for anything you want, ask them from behind a screen”
[al-Ahzaab 33:53]
al-Qaadi Abu Bakr ibn al-‘Arabi al-Maaliki (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The entire woman is ‘awrah, her body and her voice, so it is not permissible to uncover that except in cases of necessity, such as when testimony is given againsther, or medical treatment,or asking her about her health issues. End quote.
Ahkaam al-Qur’aan by Ibnal-‘Arabi (3/1578, 1579).
Al-Qurtubi (may Allaah have mercy on him), who is also Maaliki, said:
This verse indicates that Allaah has given permission to ask of themfrom behind a screen if there is some need, or when they ask a question about something. That includes all women. Because it is a basic shar’i principle that the entire woman is ‘awrah, her body and her voice – as stated above –it is not permissible to uncover that except in cases of necessity such as when testimony is given againsther, or medical treatment,or asking her about her health issues. End quote.
In al-Jaami’ li Ahkaam al-Qur’aan (14/227) it says:
For more information on the views of Maaliki fuqaha’ concerning the obligation for women to cover their faces, see: al-Ma’yaar al-Mu’arrab by al-Wanshireesi (10/165 and 11/226 and 229), Mawaahib al-Jaleel by al-Hattaab (3/141), al-Dhakheerah by al-Quraafi (3/307) and Haashiyat al-Dasooqi ‘ala al-Sharh al-Kabeer (2/55).
We have discussed this issue and its evidence in more than one answer onthis site. Please see the answers to questions no. 11774 , 12525 , 13998 , 21134 and 21536 .
Fourthly:
With regard to what you mention about the laws in your country forbiddingwomen to cover their faces, that is something that makes us feel very sad, to hear that covering and chastity are being opposed and wanton display and unveiling are being encouraged everywhere, especially when that happens in a country that is supposed to be Muslim.
If the laws forbid women to cover, and you fear persecution because of covering your faces, then there is no sin on you if you do not do it in that case, so long as that is based on necessity. So a woman should not go outof her house with her faceuncovered except in cases of necessity. If she can break the law and put up with a little bit of hassle, let her do so for there is no obedience to any created being if it involvesdisobedience towards the Creator.

And Allaah knows best./ - - - :-> Transtors: 1.http://free-translation.imtranslator.net/lowres.asp 2.http://translate.google.com/m?twu=1&hl=en&vi=m&sl=auto&tl=en

5] Our attitude towards the differences of opinion among the imams with regard to covering the face

5]
There is an important matter that is giving me sleepless nights, which is: what is the meaning of the differences of the imam concerning a certain issue? If I say to someone that Shaykh So and so says that something is haraam, he says to me that is according to his madhhabor the madhhab of his country, and we follow a different madhhab that says it is halaal. This led me to the issue of hijab. For example, my country follows the Maaliki madhhab, the imams of which say that “that which is apparent” [al-Noor 24:33] refers to the face and hands. In addition to that, the face-veil is virtually banned in my country, i.e.,you could never wear it inyour daily life, such as wearing it at work or in school. There are laws that ban it and the gloves.Although personally I am fully convinced about the face-veil, I cannot wear it. What is your ruling on that? Because every time Ilisten to tapes about hijabfrom Shaykhs from another madhhab, I feel that my hijab is not Islamically acceptable, and I understand from their words that I am currently unveiled and making a wanton display of myself (tabarruj) and I am a cause of fitnah among this ummah. Whatshould we do, as we are confused?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
At the time of the Revelation, the Muslims learned the rulings of Islam from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) through the verses of the Holy Qur’aan and the ahaadeeth of his Sunnah. Hence there were no differences of opinion among them except with regard to some minor issues. If that happened, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would explain to them what was correct.
When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) died and the Sahaabah spread out to various regions to teach the people Islam, there appeared some differences with regard tosome matters of fiqh which arose at different times and in different places. These differences were due to a number of reasons, which we will sum up here from the words of the scholars:
1- The evidence had notreached the one who helda different opinion, and he made a mistake in forming his opinion.
2- The hadeeth had reached the scholar, but he did not regard the transmitter as trustworthy, and he thought that it went against something that was stronger, so he followed that which he thought was stronger than it.
3- The hadeeth had reached him but he forgotit.
4- The hadeeth had reached him but he understood it in a way other than the intended meaning.
5- The hadeeth reached him but it was abrogated,and he did not know the abrogating text.
6- He thought that it contradicted something that was stronger than it, whether that was a text or scholarly consensus (ijmaa’)
7- The scholar used a weak hadeeth as the basisfor his ruling, or he derived the ruling by means of weak arguments.
For a detailed discussion of these reasons and others, see Raf’ al-Malaam‘an al-A’immati’l-A’laam by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, and al-Khilaaf bayna al-‘Ulama’: Asbaabuhu wa Mawqifunaminhu by Shaykh al-‘Uthaymeen.
We think that what we have mentioned about the reasons for differencesamong the scholars i.e., with regard to matters of fiqh, will be clear to you, in sha Allaah.
Secondly:
What should the Muslim’s attitude be towards differences that arise between the scholars? In other words, which scholarly opinion should the Muslim follow in matters where they differed? The answer depends:
1 – If the Muslim is one who has studied shar’i knowledge and learned its basic principles and minor issues, and he can distinguish right from wrong with regard to scholarly views, then he has to follow that which he thinks is correct and ignore that which he thinks is wrong.
2 – If he is one of the rankand file, or has not studied shar’i knowledge, and thus cannot distinguish between right and wrong with regard toscholarly views, then he must follow the fatwa of a scholar whose knowledge he trusts and who he believes to be trustworthy and religiously committed, whether he is from his own country or another country, and differences between scholars will not matter after that. He does not have to change what he is doing because he hears another scholar issuing a fatwa that differs from the one he is following, unless he realizes that what he learned later on is the correct view, on the basis of his confidence in the religious commitment and knowledge of the second Shaykh.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The one who has knowledge of evidence is required to follow the evidence, even if it goes against some of the imams, if it does not go against the consensus of the ummah./ - - - :-> Transtors: 1.http://free-translation.imtranslator.net/lowres.asp 2.http://translate.google.com/m?twu=1&hl=en&vi=m&sl=auto&tl=en