Allah has bestowed upon you His great blessings and has showered you with abundant gifts, so that you may express gratitude for them. Gratitude is the purpose behind His creation and command. Allah, glorified be He, says:
وَٱللَّهُ أَخْرَجَكُم مِّنۢ بُطُونِ أُمَّهَـٰتِكُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ شَيْـًۭٔا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلسَّمْعَ وَٱلْأَبْصَـٰرَ وَٱلْأَفْـِٔدَةَ ۙ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ٧٨"And Allah has extracted you from the wombs of your mothers not knowing a thing, and He made for you hearing and vision and intellect that perhaps you would be grateful."
(Surah An-Nahl:Ayat 78)
Allah has informed us that those who do not show gratitude to Him are not truly His sleeves. Allah, glorified be He, says:
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُلُوا۟ مِن طَيِّبَـٰتِ مَا رَزَقْنَـٰكُمْ وَٱشْكُرُوا۟ لِلَّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ ١٧٢"And be grateful to Allah, if it is [indeed] Him that you worship."
(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:172)
Allah praised the first messenger He sent to the earth for his gratitude. He said:
ذُرِّيَّةَ مَنْ حَمَلْنَا مَعَ نُوحٍ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ عَبْدًۭا شَكُورًۭا ٣"O descendants of those We carried [in the ship] with Noah. Indeed, he was a grateful servant.
(Surah Isra: ayat 3)
He commanded His servant, Moses, to receive the prophethood and teachings with gratitude. Allah, glorified be He, says:
قَالَ يَـٰمُوسَىٰٓ إِنِّى ٱصْطَفَيْتُكَ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ بِرِسَـٰلَـٰتِى وَبِكَلَـٰمِى فَخُذْ مَآ ءَاتَيْتُكَ وَكُن مِّنَ ٱلشَّـٰكِرِينَ ١٤٤ "O Moses, I have chosen you over the people with My messages and My words [to you]. So take what I have given you and be among the grateful."
(Surah Al-Araf :144)
He praised His beloved, Ibrahim (Abraham), for his gratitude for His blessings. Allah says about him:
وَمَا ذَرَأَ لَكُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مُخْتَلِفًا أَلْوَٰنُهُۥٓ ۗ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَةًۭ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يَذَّكَّرُونَ ١٣[He was] grateful for His favors. Allah chose him and guided him to a straight path.
(Surah An-Nahl:Ayat13)
Allah commanded the family of the prophet David (Dawud) to work with gratitude. Allah, glorified be He, says:
يَعْمَلُونَ لَهُۥ مَا يَشَآءُ مِن مَّحَـٰرِيبَ وَتَمَـٰثِيلَ وَجِفَانٍۢ كَٱلْجَوَابِ وَقُدُورٍۢ رَّاسِيَـٰتٍ ۚ ٱعْمَلُوٓا۟ ءَالَ دَاوُۥدَ شُكْرًۭا ۚ وَقَلِيلٌۭ مِّنْ عِبَادِىَ ٱلشَّكُورُ ١٣
"They made for him whatever he desired of sanctuaries, statues,1 basins as large as reservoirs, and cooking pots fixed ˹into the ground˺. ˹We ordered:˺ “Work gratefully, O family of David!” ˹Only˺ a few of My servants are ˹truly˺ grateful."
(Surah Saba: Ayat 13)
Allah commanded His messenger Muhammad, peace be upon him, to be grateful. He said to him:
بَلِ ٱللَّهَ فَٱعْبُدْ وَكُن مِّنَ ٱلشَّـٰكِرِينَ ٦٦"Rather, worship (only) Allah and be among the grateful."
(Surah Zumar: Ayat 66)
The first advice that Allah gave to mankind was to be grateful to Him and to their parents. Allah, glorified be He, says:
وَوَصَّيْنَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ بِوَٰلِدَيْهِ حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُۥ وَهْنًا عَلَىٰ وَهْنٍۢ وَفِصَـٰلُهُۥ فِى عَامَيْنِ أَنِ ٱشْكُرْ لِى وَلِوَٰلِدَيْكَ إِلَىَّ ٱلْمَصِيرُ ١٤
"And be grateful to Me and to your parents; to Me is the final destination."
(Surah Luqman: : Ayat 14)
The prophets also commanded their people to be grateful. Ibrahim said to his people:
إِنَّمَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ أَوْثَـٰنًۭا وَتَخْلُقُونَ إِفْكًا ۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ لَا يَمْلِكُونَ لَكُمْ رِزْقًۭا فَٱبْتَغُوا۟ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرِّزْقَ وَٱعْبُدُوهُ وَٱشْكُرُوا۟ لَهُۥٓ ۖ إِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ ١٧
“You worship besides Allah nothing but idols, simply creating lies about them. Those you worship besides Allah certainly cannot give you any provision. So seek provision from Allah ˹alone˺, worship Him, and be grateful to Him. To Him you will ˹all˺ be returned.."
(Surah Al-Ankabut: 29:17)
The best supplication is the prayer for assistance and seeking His pleasure with gratitude for His blessings and worship. Imam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "I have pondered over the most beneficial supplication, and I found it to be seeking assistance according to His pleasure. Then I saw it in the following verse:
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ١
ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ ٢
ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ٣
مَـٰلِكِ يَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ ٤
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ ٥
“In the Name of Allah—the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful. All praise is for Allah—Lord of all worlds, the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful, You ˹alone˺ we worship and You ˹alone˺ we ask for help."
(Surah Al-Fatihah: Ayat 5)
When Satan, the enemy of Allah, realized the value and significance of gratitude, and that it is the most important act of worship, he made it his ultimate goal to cut people off from it. He said, ;
ثُمَّ لَـَٔاتِيَنَّهُم مِّنۢ بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ وَعَنْ أَيْمَـٰنِهِمْ وَعَن شَمَآئِلِهِمْ ۖ وَلَا تَجِدُ أَكْثَرَهُمْ شَـٰكِرِينَ ١٧"Then I will come to them from before them and from behind them and on their right and on their left, and You will not find most of them grateful."
(Surah Al-Araf : Ayat 17)
The grateful ones are a minority among the creation, so be among that blessed few. Allah, the Almighty, says;
يَعْمَلُونَ لَهُۥ مَا يَشَآءُ مِن مَّحَـٰرِيبَ وَتَمَـٰثِيلَ وَجِفَانٍۢ كَٱلْجَوَابِ وَقُدُورٍۢ رَّاسِيَـٰتٍ ۚ ٱعْمَلُوٓا۟ ءَالَ دَاوُۥدَ شُكْرًۭا ۚ وَقَلِيلٌۭ مِّنْ عِبَادِىَ ٱلشَّكُورُ ١٣"And few of My servants are grateful."
(Surah 34:13)
Every blessing that does not bring you closer to Allah is a trial. Al-Fudayl ibn 'Iyad, may Allah have mercy on him, said, "Adhere to gratitude for blessings, for a blessing that has been taken away from people and returned to them."1 When you realize that Allah continues to favour you with His blessings, even as you disobey Him, then be cautious and fear Him.
When a servant attains a position with Allah, he should preserve it and remain steadfast in it. Then, when he thanks Allah for what He has given him, Allah grants him something even better than it. But if he neglects gratitude, Allah gradually leads him astray.
Blessings are connected to gratitude, and more blessings are bestowed upon those who are grateful. Allah, glorified be He, says:
"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.'" (Surah Ibrahim: 14:7)
Through gratitude to Allah and obedience to Him, the doors of this world and the Hereafter open up for His servant. Allah, glorified be He, says:
وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ ٱلْقُرَىٰٓ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَٱتَّقَوْا۟ لَفَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِم بَرَكَـٰتٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَـٰكِن كَذَّبُوا۟ فَأَخَذْنَـٰهُم بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْسِبُونَ ٩٦Allah says; "And if only the people of the cities had believed and feared Allah, We would have opened upon them blessings from the heaven and the earth; but they denied [the messengers], so We seized them for what they were earning." (Surah Al A'raf: Ayat 96)
References:
1. Madaarij al-Saalikeen by Ibn Qayyim (100/1)
1 Tarikh Dimashq by Ibn Asakir (446/48).
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