Gratitude - I

Gratitude is the greatest way to live for those whopossess high ranks
of righteousness, and such people did not reach these lofty ranks
except through their gratitude; this is because belief is comprised of
two halves; one half is gratitude and the other is perseverance.
Gratitude is to acknowledge being treated well by Allaah; it is also
to praise the One who has done one many favors. It also entails
displaying the effect of the favors of Allaah upon a person by
believing with one's heart, utteringpraise and glorifications of
Allaah by ones tongue,and to use one's limbs in the worship and
obedience of Allaah. If only a few favors are worthy of a great deal
of gratitude, how would the case be when favors are abundant? People
are either grateful or ungrateful.
Gratitude holds a high rank in Islam:
· Allaah parallels it with His mention. He Says ( what means): "So
remember Me; I will remember you. And be grateful to Me and do notdeny
Me". [Quran 2: 152]
· Allaah parallels it with belief. He Says ( what means): "What would
Allaah do with [i.e., gain from] your punishment ifyou are grateful
and believe?..." [Quran 4: 147] Meaning, if you fulfil the rights due
to Allaah and the reason for which He has created you by gratitude and
belief, He will not punish you.
· Those who practice gratitude to Allaah are those who are chosen to
be granted His favors. He Says (what means): "And thus We have tried
some of them through others that they [i.e., the disbelievers] might
say, 'Is it these whom Allaah has favored among us?' Isnot Allaah most
knowing of those who are grateful?" [Quran 6: 53]
· Allaah has classified people into being either grateful or
ungrateful; the worst matter in the scale of Allaah is ingratitude
whilst the dearest things to Him are gratitude and the grateful.
Allaah Says ( what means): "Indeed, We guided him [i.e., man] to the
way, be he grateful or ungrateful" [Quran 76: 3]
· Allaah tests His slaves in order to see who will practice gratitude
and who will not. Allaah informs us about what Prophet Sulaymaan said
when He Says ( what means): "…This is from the favor of my Lord to
test me whether I will be grateful or ungrateful. And whoever is
grateful –his gratitude is only for [the benefit of] himself. And
whoever is ungrateful – then indeed my Lord is Free of need and
Generous." [Quran 27: 40]
· Allaah promises increased favors for those who are grateful. He Says
( what means): "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]
· Allaah loves gratitude and the deeds of the grateful. He Says (what
means): "If you disbelieve– indeed, Allaah is Free from need of you.
And Hedoes not approve for His servants disbelief. And if you are
grateful, He approves [i.e., likes] it foryou…" ] Quran 39: 7 ] The
grateful people mentioned in the verse are those who remain steadfast
upon belief during trials and who do not retreat or recant on their
belief. Some people verbally thank Allaah during times of ease, but
during trials they give uptheir faith. The truly grateful are those
who express the true condition of their hearts during trials by
remaining steadfast and continuing to thank Allaah by their tongues,
hearts and limbs. Additionally, this verse clarifies that the
pleasureof Allaah is achieved by being grateful to Him.
· Allaah did not make the reward for the grateful subject to any
condition, as He did for other acts ofworship, which He conditioned to
His will; rather, Allaah immediately mentions their reward; He Says (
what means): "…And Allaah will reward the grateful." [Quran 3: 144]
and also (what means): "…And We will reward the grateful." [Quran 3:
145]
· Allaah informs us that one of Satan's primary objectives is to
prevent humans from being grateful; He Says ( what means): "[Satan
said] 'Then I will come to them from before them and from behind them
and on their right and on their left, and You [i.e., Allaah] will not
find most of them grateful [to You]." [Quran 7: 17]
· Allaah describes His grateful slaves to be few in number; He Says (
whatmeans): "…And few of My servants are grateful." [Quran 34: 13] The
reasonbeing that many people enjoy blessings and bounties from Allaah,
butfail to practice gratitude to Allaah.
· Allaah praised the first prophet sent to man on earth, Prophet Nooh
due to him being grateful. Allaah Says ( what means): "O descendants
of those We carried [in the ship] with Noah. Indeed, he was a grateful
servant." [Quran 17: 3] This is as an indication that we shouldimitate
him .
· Gratitude is the first instruction given to man as soon as he begins
to comprehend. Allaah Says ( what means): "And We have enjoined upon
man [care] for his parents. His mother carried him, [increasing her]
in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years. Be
grateful to Me and to your parents; to Me is the[final] destination."
[Quran 31: 14]
· Allaah specified it as oneof the main qualities of a person who sets
himself as a good example for others to follow. He says regarding
prophet Ibraaheem ) what means): "Indeed, Ibraaheem was a
[comprehensive] leader, devoutly obedient to Allaah, inclining toward
truth, and he was not of those who associate others with Allaah. [He
was] grateful for His favors. He [i.e., Allaah] chose him and guided
him to a straight path." [Quran 16: 120-121]
Therefore, gratitude is one of the objectives thatman is commanded to
accomplish.
Imaam ibn Al-Qayyim mentioned that gratitude is one of the ranks of
belief, which canbe extracted from the fifth verse of Soorah
Al-Faatihah, (what means): "It is You we worship and You we ask for
help." Then he mentioned the following additional points regarding
gratitude:
· It is one of the highest ranks of belief.
· It is higher than the rank of contentment; andnobody can be content
without being grateful.
· Allaah praises the grateful.
· Allaah promises the grateful the best of rewards.
· Allaah makes gratitude areason for attaining more of His bounties.
· It is a means to preserve the favors of Allaah upon a person.
· It is one of the main objectives that a slave must accomplish.
· It is extracted from Ash-Skakoor, which is one of the Names of
Allaah, and which impliesgratitude.
· Those who are grateful are very few in number.
· Gratitude results in morefavors from Allaah.
Gratitude is having ones heart devoted to loving the One bestowing the
favors, having the limbs continuously obedient to Him and having the
tongue repeatedly mentioning Him, praisingHim and glorifying Him.
Gratitude entails the following three things:
1. One should realise the favors bestowed upon him and have it present
in his mind constantly, because this leads him to remember the
Bestower of favors and therefore being grateful to and loving Allaah,
who is of course the Bestower of favors. This would therefore make one
exertmore effort in worshipping Allaah.
2. One should receive favors with humility and express his need to
Allaah, the Bestower of favors, and mention that he is unworthy of the
favors bestowed upon him, and that it is only due to the Grace and
Kindness of Allaah that such favors were bestowed.
3. One should praise Allaah, the Bestower of favors, and this is done
intwo ways:
1) Generally: To describe Allaah as being generous and kind.
2) Specifically: To mention His favors upon one.
There are two points regarding the issue of mentioning and talking
about favors from Allaah:
1) To mention all that Allaah Has bestowed upon one.
2) To utilise these favors in His obedience.
People fall into three categories with regards to the favors from Allaah:
1. Those who are gratefuland praise Allaah for bestowing them upon them.
2. Those who are ungrateful and do not mention them.
3. Those who express thatthey are worthy of them, when in fact they
certainly are not.
An-Nu'maan ibn Al-Basheer said: "He who does not thank Allaah for
small favors will not thank Him for great ones; and he who does not
express gratitude to people (for doing him favors) will not express
gratitude towards Allaah. Appreciating and mentioning the favor
bestowed upon one fromAllaah is gratitude, and not doing so expresses
ingratitude." [Ahmad]
This should be done in front of people and between a person and
himself (i.e., to himself) but if people are of the envious type, then
one should conceal such favors, and he would not be ungrateful in this
case, because he is simplyconcealing them in an attempt to prevent an
evil from befalling him, such as an evil eye or an evil plot from the
envious, and it must be known that to prevent harm from afflicting man
is an objective set forth by the Islamic Sharee'ah.
There is no way one can do anything to repay the favors bestowed upon
him by Allaah, except thathe should continue to praise and thank
Allaah for having bestowed them upon him, as well as utilising these
favors for the pleasure of Allaah.
What is our duty towardsAllaah with regards to the favors He bestows upon us?
· Being submissive to Allaah.
· Loving Allaah.
· Acknowledging that He is the Bestower of all favors.
· Praising Him.
· Utilising these favors in a way that pleases Him.
Does the way of expressing gratitude towards Allaah differ, justlike
the favors themselvesdiffer?
Yes; gratitude can be expressed by the heart, the tongue and the limbs.
Expressing gratitude by the heart :This is by knowing that Allaah is
the Bestower of these favors, and this is something that is very
important when cultivating children, so that they know where favors
come from, as Allaah Says (what means): "O Mankind, remember the favor
of Allaah upon you. Is there any creator other than Allaah who
provides for you from theheaven and the earth? There is no deity
except Him, so how are you deluded?" ] Quran 35: 3]