Life would be miserable if we only counted the people who do bad things. We can keep worrying about them or start counting the jewels of humanity that are all around us and start recognizing each good thing they have to offer. Many people would say that happiness is about being thankful. In Islam, being thankful to Allah is one of the obligations, and even become the main purpose of human creation. Allah says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَلْتَنظُرْ نَفْسٌ مَّا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ
“O you who believe! Consciously revere Allah and let look every soul what it has sent forth for tomorrow, and consciously revere Allah. Indeed, Allah (is) All-Aware of what you do.” (Surah Al-Hashr 59:18)
What’s interesting is that he did not mention limiting thankfulness to relatives, only Muslims or believers. He used the Quranic term “Naas” which means all human beings. So the attitude of thankfulness and gratefulness to each and all, Muslim or non-Muslim, neighbour or non-neighbour, is the way to be thankful to God. Allah says:
فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لِي وَلَا تَكْفُرُونِ
“So remember Me, I will remember you. Be thankful to Me and do not be ungrateful.” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:152)
Not that Allah SWT is desperate for our gratitude, but it’s to remind humans themselves that nothing in this world truly belongs to them. What they have and what come and go from their lives is all due to Allah SWT. Allah says:
وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِي لَشَدِيدٌ
“Your Lord has proclaimed: If you are grateful I will increase you, but if you are ungrateful then My punishment is severe.” (Surah Ibrahim 14:7)
There is thank you and then there is the real thank you. Sometimes, thank-yous come out without us even thinking about them. We receive many of those all day long and there is nothing wrong with that. It’s common courtesy and somewhere in your subconscious, you mean it as well, giving and receiving it casually. Allah says:
وَقُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي لَمْ يَتَّخِذْ وَلَدًا وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ شَرِيكٌ فِي الْمُلْكِ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ وَلِيٌّ مِّنَ الذُّلِّ وَكَبِّرْهُ تَكْبِيرًا
“Say: All praise is due to Allah, who was not taken a son, nor does he have a partner in the dominion, and who needs no protection from weakness, so glorify Him greatly.” (Surah Al-Isra 17:111)
Gratitude is not only the heart and essence of Islam; it is also the key to attracting abundance, prosperity, peace, and success in one’s life. We can say that Gratitude and Shukr are the most important aspects of Islam.
Here are some Islamic teachings about the thankfulness of Allah:
- Thankful of the tongue involves the praises of Allah
- Thank Allah, for all the blessings great and small
- Thankful to Allah for your intellectual abilities
- Thankful to Allah for your comfort and status
- Thankful to Allah for everything you possess
- Thank you, Allah, for removing from me grief
- Thankful to Allah’s unaccountable blessings
- Thankful to Allah for your wealth and health
- Thank you, Allah, for producing these words
- Thank you, Allah, for removing from worry
- Thank you, Allah, for forgiving all facilities
- Thank you, Allah, for allowing me to see
- Thankful to Allah for your peaceful life
- Thank you, Allah, for placing faith
- Thankful leads to Allah’s pleasure
- Thankful to Allah for our creation
- Thankful for the guidance of Allah
- Thankful to Allah for His Blessings
- Thankful to Allah to attain Tauheed
- Thank you, Allah, for peace of mind
- Thankful to Allah gives us a blessing
- Thankful to reflect upon your own life
- Thank you, Allah, for enriching my life
- Thankful is a grateful heart that to Allah
- Thankful is a quality of success in this life
- Thankful someone, make sure you mean it
- Thank you, Allah, for never leaving me alone
- Thankful to Allah to relieve anxiety and stress
- Thankful is a quality of success in the Hereafter
- Thankful given the best in this world and the next
- Thanks celebrate with praises the name of thy God
- Thanks is a quality of success in this life and the Hereafter
Better communications skills can guarantee better pay on the job or returns on your business. You can get hired sooner and get a raise faster, you can sell more. Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings are upon him, would not officiate a wedding until he recited a verse of the Quran which implores the bride and groom of the importance of clear communication. Allah says:
ثُمَّ تَوَلَّيْتُم مِّن بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ فَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ لَكُنتُم مِّنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ
“For surely if it was not for the grace of God on you and His mercy, you would have been among the losers.” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:2:64)
It is the cure for sadness and materialism as well and is the motivation to do better tomorrow. Thanks and gratitude to someone are repay the kindness and giving praise to the one who has done good and kind things to us. The kindest One is the Almighty Allah so we should always be thankful to Him for everything. Allah says:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَيَرْضَى عَنْ الْعَبْدِ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ الْأَكْلَةَ فَيَحْمَدَهُ عَلَيْهَا أَوْ يَشْرَبَ الشَّرْبَةَ فَيَحْمَدَهُ عَلَيْهَا
“Verily, Allah is pleased with the servant who praises Him when he eats and he praises Him when he drinks.” (Sahih Muslim 2734)
If you are ungrateful, Allah is unaffected. If you become grateful, then you have taken the first step towards becoming a true Believer. Be ever grateful to Allah for everything that you possess including your wealth, health, status, intellectual abilities, and life. From the very beginning of the human being’s creation, the issue of gratefulness and thankfulness to Allah has been debated. Allah says:
Allah Almighty says in The Holy Quran:
- ” If you are grateful, He is pleased with you…” (Az-Zumar 39:7)
- “… and be grateful to All? h, if it is Him you worship” (Al-Baqarah 2:172)
- ” And whoever is grateful, he is only grateful for the benefit of his himself.” (Luqman 31:12)
- “Indeed God is the possessor of bounty for all people but most people do not give thanks.” (Al-Baqarah 2: 243)
- “And remember! Your Lord caused to be declared: If ye are grateful, I will add more unto you.” (Quran, 14:5-7)
- “God told the Prophet that he must communicate in the best possible manner.” (Quran 5:92 & 36:17)
- “O ye who believe! Guard your duty to God: Speak words straight to the point.” (Quran 33:70)
We as Muslims should always be thankful to Almighty Allah for all the blessings given by Him. He is the Creator of this world alone and also He is The Most Merciful for all His humankind. If we are thankful to him then it means we are believers and if not then disbelievers. Allah says:
إِنَّا هَدَيْنَاهُ السَّبِيلَ إِمَّا شَاكِرًا وَإِمَّا كَفُورًا
“Surely We have shown him the way: he may be thankful or unthankful.” (Surah Al-Insan 76:3)
It is good for us, personally as well as for our family, to plan. But as we plan we should think of our communities and our country as well. The template for planning should be the common supplication (Dua) we ask God for in our daily prayers. Allah says:
وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَقُولُ رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
“And from those who say, “Our Lord! Grant us in the world good and the Hereafter good, and save us (from the) punishment (of) the Fire.” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:201)
God wants us to be thinking individuals. It is therefore not only important to audit what we have done but to plan for the future as well. We must plan for our time and money to live a purposeful life. Such a life is the main difference between animals and human beings. Otherwise, our life cycle is not much different. We are born, we eat and drink, grow, reproduce, and die.
وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا لُقْمَانَ الْحِكْمَةَ أَنِ اشْكُرْ لِلَّهِ وَمَن يَشْكُرْ فَإِنَّمَا يَشْكُرُ لِنَفْسِهِ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ حَمِيدٌ
“We endowed Luqman with wisdom: ‘Be thankful to God: whoever gives thanks benefits his soul, and as for those who are thankless — God is self-sufficient, worthy of all praise.” (Surah Luqman 31:12)
O, Allah! Bestow Your prayers, peace, and blessings upon Your servant and messenger Muhammad, the bearer of glad tidings, the warner, and the lamp spreading light, and upon his family and Companions, who strove hard and fought with their wealth and their lives to support and defend the religion until the earth shone with light and guidance. Allah says:
أَفَمَن يَخْلُقُ كَمَن لَّا يَخْلُقُ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ
“Then is He Who creates like one who (does) not creates? Then will you not remember?” (Surah An-Nahl 16:17)
Reflect upon your own life and you will find innumerable occasions when Allah’s `hand’ has been holding you and helping you. So often, believers and even atheists subconsciously use the expression ‘Thank God’, without realizing the full implications of our words. Every time Allah gives us a blessing, we must use it in a way that benefits humanity and that pleases Allah.