The Qur’an
“Therefore remember Me, I will remember you, and be thankful to Me, and do not be ungrateful to Me” [Qur’an; 2:152]
“…And we will reward the grateful.” [Qur’an; 3:145]
“What would Allah do with your punishment if you are grateful and believe? And ever is Allah Appreciative and Knowing.” [Qur’an; 4:147]
“And if you should count the favors of Allah, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” [Qur’an; 16:18]
“. . . then when (Sulaiman (Solomon)) saw it placed before him, he said: “This is by the Grace of my Lord to test me whether I am grateful or ungrateful! And whoever is grateful, truly, his gratitude is for (the good of) his own self, and whoever is ungrateful, (he is ungrateful only for the loss of his own self). Certainly! My Lord is Rich (Free of all wants), Bountiful” [Qur’an; 27:40]
“And We had certainly given Luqman wisdom [and said], “Be grateful to Allah.” And whoever is grateful is grateful for [the benefit of] himself. And whoever denies [His favor] – then indeed, Allah is Free of need and Praiseworthy.” [Qur’an; 31:12]
Hadith
Narrated Abu Hurayrah: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: He who does not thank the people is not thankful to Allah. [Abu Dawud]
It was narrated that Ziyad bin Ilaqah said: “I heard Al-Mughirah bin Shu’bah say: ‘The Prophet (peace be upon him) stood (in prayer at night) until his feet swelled up, and it was said to him: Allah has forgiven your past and future sins. He said: “Should I not be a thankful slave?’” [Sunan An-Nasai]
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Any matter of importance which is not begun with Al-hamdu lillah (praise be to Allah) remains defective.” [Abu Dawud]
“The one who eats and is grateful is like the status of the patient fasting person.” [Tirmidhi]
“…Let one of you acquire a thankful heart, a tongue that remembers Allah and a believing wife who will help him with regard to the Hereafter….” [Ibn Majah]
Cultivating gratitude entails acknowledging the Giver and His Oneness. Although the gift may arrive through various intermediaries, the source of all provision is Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He).
Al-Shibli is reported to have said, “To turn one’s attention to the giver rather than to the gift is gratefulness.”
Gratitude is to react with happiness by becoming acquainted with the giver of the gift. This incorporates the heart, tongue, and limbs. To express gratitude with the heart is to pray for the good of all people. To express gratitude with the tongue is to praise Allah under all circumstances. To express gratitude with the limbs is to use them in the service of Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) and to restrain them from committing what He prohibits.
Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) is above all needs. Our gratitude towards Him and the proper use of all the blessings that He has bestowed on us are for our own benefit.
There is wisdom in everything that happens and our response in every situation is that of thankfulness and praise to Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He). There is always something to be grateful for in any situation. In fact, Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) has granted us so much, that perhaps we don’t even understand which ones to be more grateful for–the best of our deeds that He has enabled us to do, or the worst of our deeds that he has veiled from the eyes of people and protected our dignity.
Further Information