WHAT IS GRATEFULNESS?

Ungrateful Are Punished

Be Grateful To Him!

What Is Gratefulness?

(M. Javed Naseem)

إِنَّا خَلَقْنَا ٱلإِنسَانَ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍ نَّبْتَلِيهِ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ سَمِيعاً بَصِيراً
“Verily We created Man from a drop of

mingled sperm, in order to try him. So, We

gave him (the gifts) of Hearing and Sight.

إِنَّا هَدَيْنَاهُ ٱلسَّبِيلَ إِمَّا شَاكِراً وَإِمَّا كَفُوراً
“We showed him the way; whether he be

grateful or ungrateful (rests on his will).”

(al-Quran 76:2-3)

Yes, Allah has shown us the way – the right way – with His guidance (Hidayah) through the verses of the Quran. Now, it’s our choice what we do; and we’ll be rewarded (in this world and in the Hereafter) according to the choices we make in life.

أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْاْ أَنَّا خَلَقْنَا لَهُم مِمَّا عَمِلَتْ أَيْدِينَآ أَنْعاماً فَهُمْ لَهَا مَالِكُونَ
”See they not that it is We Who have created

for them, among the things which Our hands have

fashioned, cattle, which are under their dominion?”

وَذَلَّلْنَاهَا لَهُمْ فَمِنْهَا رَكُوبُهُمْ وَمِنْهَا يَأْكُلُونَ
“And that We have subjected them to their (use)?

Of them some do carry them and some they eat.”

وَلَهُمْ فِيهَا مَنَافِعُ وَمَشَارِبُ أَفَلاَ يَشْكُرُونَ
”And they have (other) benefits from them

(besides), and they get (milk) to drink.

Will they not then be grateful?”

(al-Quran 36:71-73)

The Lord Almighty (Allah) is the Creator and we are His Creation. ‘His Creation’ means that we belong to Him; we are His property; we are His servants or slaves; and we are obligated to obey Him in all walks of life. If we give thanks to Allah, He is pleased with us and He’ll bestow upon us His bounties and mercy. That’s His promise in the Holy Quran, and His promise is undoubtedly the Truth!

وَٱذْكُرُوۤاْ إِذْ أَنتُمْ قَلِيلٌ مُّسْتَضْعَفُونَ فِى ٱلأَرْضِ

تَخَافُونَ أَن يَتَخَطَّفَكُمُ ٱلنَّاسُ فَآوَاكُمْ وَأَيَّدَكُم

بِنَصْرِهِ وَرَزَقَكُمْ مِّنَ ٱلطَّيِّبَاتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
“Call to mind when you were a small (band),

despised through the land, and afraid that men

might despoil and kidnap you. But He provided

a safe asylum for you, strengthened you with

His aid, and gave you good things for

sustenance, that you might be grateful.”

(al-Quran 8:26)

وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ

وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِى لَشَدِيدٌ

“And when your Lord proclaimed: If you

give thanks, I will give you more; but if you

are thankless, lo! My punishment is dire!”

(al-Quran 14:7)

Allah likes human beings when they beg for His mercy, forgiveness and ask Him for bounties and blessings. Those who don’t like to ask or beg Him, they are considered arrogant. And arrogance is something Allah does not like at all. It was arrogance that got the Devil (Shaitan) out of Paradise and landed him in Hell. He was cursed for ever. As a matter of fact, it was his attitude and arrogance that made him disobey Allah’s command and eventually disobedience (ungratefulness) was punished.

وَضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلاً قَرْيَةً كَانَتْ آمِنَةً مُّطْمَئِنَّةً يَأْتِيهَا رِزْقُهَا

رَغَداً مِّن كُلِّ مَكَانٍ فَكَفَرَتْ بِأَنْعُمِ ٱللَّهِ فَأَذَاقَهَا ٱللَّهُ

لِبَاسَ ٱلْجُوعِ وَٱلْخَوْفِ بِمَا كَانُواْ يَصْنَعُونَ    
“Allah sets forth a parable: A city enjoying

security and quiet, abundantly supplied with

sustenance from every place: Yet was it

ungrateful for the favors of Allah. So Allah

made it taste of hunger and terror (in extremes),

(closing in on it) like a garment (from every side),

because of the (evil) which (its people) wrought.

(al-Quran 16:112)

فَكُلُواْ مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ حَلالاً طَيِّباً

وَٱشْكُرُواْ نِعْمَةَ ٱللَّهِ إِن كُنْتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ
“So eat of the sustenance which Allah has

provided for you, lawful and good; and be

grateful for the favors of Allah, if it is

He Whom you serve.”

(al-Quran 16:114)

We human beings are judged on the same scale and with similar measure on which the Devil (Shaitan) was judged – the grateful-obedience. As long as we are obedient to Allah, follow His commands, live the way He has instructed us to live, and pay thanks/gratitude to Him for all His favors, we are fine. Allah is satisfied with us and rewards us without measure. But He tells us in the Quran that He does not like those who are ungrateful and rebellious. He rewards the gratefulness with His mercy and bounties but at the same time He punishes the ungratefulness.  

مَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ حَرَجٍ وَلَـٰكِن

يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

“….. Allah does not wish to place you in

a difficulty, but to make you clean, and

to complete His favor to you, that you

may be grateful.”

(al-Quran 5:6)

وَكَذٰلِكَ فَتَنَّا بَعْضَهُمْ بِبَعْضٍ لِّيَقُولوۤاْ أَهَـٰؤُلاۤءِ مَنَّ

ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّن بَيْنِنَآ أَلَيْسَ ٱللَّهُ بِأَعْلَمَ بِٱلشَّاكِرِينَ
“Thus did We try some of them by comparison

with others, that they should say: "Is it these

then that Allah has favored from amongst us?"

Does not Allah know best those who are grateful?

(al-Quran 6:53)

وَٱلْبَلَدُ ٱلطَّيِّبُ يَخْرُجُ نَبَاتُهُ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِ وَٱلَّذِى خَبُثَ

لاَ يَخْرُجُ إِلاَّ نَكِداً كَذٰلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ ٱلآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَشْكُرُونَ
“From the land that is clean and good,

by the will of its Cherisher, springs up produce,

(rich) after its kind: but from the land that is bad,

springs up nothing but that which is niggardly.

Thus do we explain the signs by various

symbols to those who are grateful.”

(al-Quran 7:58)

Man is so weak that he surrenders to the Devil (Shaitan) immediately, without any remarkable resistance. Under Devil’s influence, he becomes arrogant, disobedient and ungrateful. All these qualities merit punishment in the eyes of Allah. Man forgets totally that while he is showing his ungratefulness and disobedience to God, he is still enjoying the bounties and favors from Him! Allah does not punish him immediately. He gives him ample time to reflect, to repent and to revert to obedience and gratefulness. If man does not care and continues on the stray path, Allah gives him some warning signs as reminders. And if those reminders and warning signs are still ignored, then a light punishment is given (like some loss in business, some injury, etc.). But if man still does not wake up then he is well on the road to destruction (punishment).

وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَهُمْ نَارُ جَهَنَّمَ لاَ يُقْضَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ فَيَمُوتُواْ

وَلاَ يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُمْ مِّنْ عَذَابِهَا كَذٰلِكَ نَجْزِى كُلَّ كَفُورٍ
“But those who reject (Allah), for them will be

the Fire of Hell. No term shall be determined

for them, so they should die, nor shall its

penalty be lightened for them. Thus do We

reward every ungrateful one!”

(al-Quran 35:36)

Allah, the Most Merciful, has bestowed upon us countless blessings. We cannot thank Him enough for His unlimited favors to us. If we just take one minute’s time from our so called ‘busy’ schedule, every day, take a deep breath and reflect upon the countless favors, right from our birth till now, we’ll be ashamed to see that we failed miserably to thank the Almighty.

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لاَ يَشْكُرُونَ
“… For Allah is full of bounty to mankind,

but Most of them are ungrateful.”

(al-Quran 2:243)

وَمَا ظَنُّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ٱلْكَذِبَ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَامَةِ

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لاَ يَشْكُرُونَ
“And what think those who invent lies against

Allah, of the Day of Judgment? Verily, Allah

is full of bounty to mankind, but most

of them are ungrateful.”

(al-Quran 10:60)

إِنَّ ٱلإِنسَانَ لِرَبِّهِ لَكَنُودٌ
“Truly man is, to his Lord, ungrateful.”

(al-Quran 100:6)

If we decide that we should do something as a token of gratitude to Allah for all His mercy and bounties, we’ll find out that it’s not difficult to spare just five minutes (out of 1,440 minutes) every day! The only thing we need is a strong will and good intention. And this little effort can bring us great rewards!

وَٱللَّهُ جَعَلَ لَكُمْ مِّنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجاً وَجَعَلَ لَكُمْ

مِّنْ أَزْوَاجِكُم بَنِينَ وَحَفَدَةً وَرَزَقَكُم مِّنَ ٱلطَّيِّبَاتِ

أَفَبِٱلْبَاطِلِ يُؤْمِنُونَ وَبِنِعْمَةِ ٱللَّهِ هُمْ يَكْفُرُونَ
“And Allah has made for you mates (and

companions) of your own nature, and made

for you, out of them, sons and daughters and

grandchildren, and provided for you sustenance

of the best. Will they then believe in vain things,

and be ungrateful for Allah's favors?”

(al-Quran 16:72)

كَذٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

“… Thus does Allah make clear to you

His signs, that you may be grateful.”

(al-Quran 5:89)

There are different levels of being grateful to Allah. The ‘zero level’ is when we verbally thank Allah but practically we do nothing to support our claim. Talk is only a talk, actions matter! We would be considered ‘grateful’ to our Lord only when we obey His commands; discharge our obligations the way He wants us to; and show our loyalty, sincerity and steadfastness by good deeds. All these qualities count for ‘obedience’ and obedience is the best way to show our gratefulness.

….. أَلاَ لِلَّهِ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْخَالِصُ

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لاَ يَهْدِى مَنْ هُوَ كَاذِبٌ كَـفَّار
“Is it not to Allah that sincere devotion

is due? … But Allah guides not such

as are false and ungrateful.”

(al-Quran 39:3)

Yes, to Him is due all the sincere devotion! But Allah warns us, at the same time, that He does not guide those who are ungrateful. Now, the question is: Who is ungrateful? The answer is very simple: Anybody who disobeys Allah’s commands and deviates from the path Allah has prescribed for us, is ungrateful. Such a person does not appreciate the favors that Allah has been and will be doing to him/her. Therefore, loyalty, faithfulness and steadfastness in good deeds are the signs of our gratefulness. If we don’t appreciate what the Almighty has done for us, we join the ‘unfaithful’ group. And Allah is not pleased with such a group. He punishes the ungrateful.

إِن تَكْفُرُواْ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ عَنكُمْ وَلاَ يَرْضَىٰ

لِعِبَادِهِ ٱلْكُفْرَ وَإِن تَشْكُرُواْ يَرْضَهُ لَكُمْ
“If you reject (Allah), truly Allah has no

need of you; but He likes not ingratitude

from His servants. If you are grateful,

He is pleased with you.”

(al-Quran 39:7)

ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى سَخَّرَ لَكُمُ ٱلْبَحْرَ لِتَجْرِىَ ٱلْفُلْكُ

فِيهِ بِأَمْرِهِ وَلِتَبْتَغُواْ مِن فَضْلِهِ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
“It is Allah Who has subjected the sea to

you, that ships may sail through it by His

command, that you may seek of His bounty,

and that you may be grateful.”

(al-Quran 45:12)

Allah had subjected the Jinn, the birds and the beast to Prophet Solomon (a.s.). When he was planning to bring over the throne of Queen of Sheba/Saba (Bilqis), a mighty Jinn delivered the throne in a second. Prophet Solomon then showed his gratitude to his Lord:

  

قَالَ ٱلَّذِى عِندَهُ عِلْمٌ مِّنَ ٱلْكِتَابِ أَنَاْ آتِيكَ بِهِ قَبْلَ أَن يَرْتَدَّ

إِلَيْكَ طَرْفُكَ فَلَمَّا رَآهُ مُسْتَقِرّاً عِندَهُ قَالَ هَـٰذَا مِن فَضْلِ رَبِّى

لِيَبْلُوَنِيۤ أَأَشْكُرُ أَمْ أَكْفُرُ وَمَن شَكَرَ فَإِنَّمَا يَشْكُرُ لِنَفْسِهِ

وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ رَبِّى غَنِيٌّ كَرِيمٌ
“Said one who had knowledge of the Book:

"I will bring it to you within the twinkling

of an eye!" Then when (Solomon) saw it

placed firmly before him, he said: This is

by the Grace of my Lord, to test me whether

I am grateful or ungrateful! And if any is

grateful, truly his gratitude is (a gain) for his

own soul; but if any is ungrateful, truly my

Lord is free of all needs, Supreme in Honor!"

(al-Quran 27:40)

The Most Merciful (Allah) reminds us in the Quran, again and again, by showing His signs and by giving examples that He is the One bestowing upon us His Grace and Bounties so that we remain grateful to Him:

وَمِن رَّحْمَتِهِ جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلْلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ لِتَسْكُنُواْ

فِيهِ وَلِتَبتَغُواْ مِن فَضْلِهِ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
“It is out of His Mercy that He has made

for you Night and Day, that you may rest

therein, and that you may seek of his Grace;

and in order that you may be grateful.”

(al-Quran 28:73)

عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرِّزْقَ وَٱعْبُدُوهُ وَٱشْكُرُواْ لَهُ إِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ
"… Then seek you sustenance from Allah,

serve Him, and be grateful to Him!

To Him will be your return.”

(al-Quran 29:17)

 

(Zinedine Zidane, ex-captain of France’s national football team, a Muslim of Algerian origin)

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ أَن يُرْسِلَ ٱلرِّيَاحَ مُبَشِّرَاتٍ وَلِيُذِيقَكُمْ مِّن رَّحْمَتِهِ

وَلِتَجْرِىَ ٱلْفُلْكُ بِأَمْرِهِ وَلِتَبْتَغُواْ مِن فَضْلِهِ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
“Among His signs is this, that He sends the

winds, as heralds of glad tidings, giving you

a taste of His (Grace and) Mercy, that the

ships may sail (majestically) by His Command

and that you may seek of His Bounty,

in order that you may be grateful.”

(al-Quran 30:46)

  

كُلُواْ مِن رِّزْقِ رَبِّكُمْ وَٱشْكُرُواْ لَهُ بَلْدَةٌ طَيِّبَةٌ وَرَبٌّ غَفُورٌ
"… Eat of the sustenance (provided) by

your Lord, and be grateful to Him! …”

(al-Quran 34:15)

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