Previously, we discussed the meaning of gratitude, some of its benefits, and the importance of being grateful in all circumstances.
And it was mentioned that Allah (‘azza wa jal) reminds us that those who are appreciative, thankful, and grateful to Him will have their blessings increased. But how is gratitude to Allah shown and implemented?
The grateful heart recognises the favours of Allah
This soul understands that their health, wealth, family, and career only constitute a tiny fraction of the enormous number of blessings that they have been given.
Reflect for a second on what life would be like, had Allah (subḥānahu wa ta’āla) not given us eyes, a tongue, and two lips.
We would have lived a life of darkness and silence without ever being able to articulate ourselves in spoken words. And in the absence of a tongue, we would have never tasted a morsel of food.
Allah wants us to consider these realities.
“Have We not given them two eyes, a tongue, and two lips?” [1]
Reflecting on our innumerable blessings ought to lead a person to express gratitude by words of thanks to Allah, by keeping the tongue moist with His remembrance.
Allah commands us to proclaim His blessings
A person ought to thank and declare the magnificence of Allah and the mercy that Allah has shown man by giving him everything that he needs.
Through this, a person will fulfil Allah’s command in the Qur’ān:
“And proclaim the blessings of your Lord.” [2]
One of the wisdoms of this command is that it gets the believer accustomed to recognising where all of our blessings come from. Allah loves it when a person shows appreciation for what He has bestowed upon them.
The opposite is also true.
Perhaps we can understand this better by way of an analogy. Imagine a son who was looked after perfectly by his parents for his whole life. And now imagine this child turns around and tells his parents that they did absolutely nothing for him. What a great injustice that would be!
This is why Allah equates ingratitude with a kind of disbelief, since ingratitude is a rejection of the very source of the blessing in the first place. And as all blessings are from Allah, denying this is tantamount to denying Allah Himself.
Obedience to your Lord is part of gratitude towards Him
A person should act in a manner that reflects their acknowledgement of Allah’s favours. Muslim scholars have made clear that being obedient to the commands of Allah is part of thankfulness towards Him.
Similarly, one ought to use the blessings given by the Creator — whether physical, financial, intellectual, or otherwise — to please his Creator and Lord.
The truly intelligent, for example, should employ their intellect and body in what pleases Allah and not in what earns His displeasure. And, as the early scholars asserted, abandoning one’s sins is also a form of gratitude towards Allah.
Consider this point carefully: how can a person show true gratitude and be remorselessly sinning against the One Who is the source of all blessings and favours?
Is gratitude to be expressed through words only?
The idea that gratitude is only expressed through words is a common mistake.
True gratitude is expressed through the tongue, heart, and limbs. The three have to be in harmony to represent true gratitude. A person who profusely praises and thanks a person but does so with the bad intention of getting something in return cannot truly be considered grateful.
When it comes to showing gratitude through our actions, one should act in a manner that expresses thanks to Allah for all of the favours He has bestowed upon us.
Allah instructed the family of prophet Dāwūd (ʿalayhi al-Salām) by saying,
“[We said], ‘Work, O family of Dāwūd, in gratitude.’
“And few of My servants are grateful.” [3]
Three examples of this are: a person who is blessed with wealth spending in charity; one who is favoured with knowledge taking the time to impart their knowledge unto others; or one who is favoured with strength using that to support the weak and helpless.
No matter what the blessing — and there are more than we could count — the believer is always alert to ways that they could use that blessing to please his Creator. After all, He is the source of all bounties and blessings in the first place.
Source: Islam21c
Notes
[1] al-Qur’ān, 90:8-9
[2] al-Qur’ān, 93:11
[3] al-Qur’ān, 34:13
