Being grateful for blessings

Some people think that being grateful for blessings is achieved by saying, after making use of these divine blessings, “Thanks be to Allah,” or “Praise be to Allah,” or “Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.” It is not reasonable that a word or two we utter with our tongues can achieve real gratefulness for all these material and moral blessings.

Gratefulness should be suitable to the Giver and harmonious with the blessing. This cannot be achieved except by a series of sayings, doings and feelings.

Would we be grateful for all these Divine mercies and blessings just by saying, “praise be to Allah” or “thanks be to Allah?”

Can gratefulness be realized just by saying, “praise be to Allah” before all these material blessings? Think of our organs: the eyes, the ears, the tongue, the hands, the legs, the heart, veins, nerves and bones. Consider other material blessings like food, drink, fragrances; beautiful scenes of nature, like mountains, plains, woods, rivers, springs, seas; the different fruits, grains, vegetables and millions of other blessings that are considered as tools and means that keep the life and the survival of man.

Can man offer the real gratefulness to Allah just by saying “thanks be to Allah” in return for the blessings of Islam, faith, guidance, guardianship, knowledge, wisdom, health, safety, purification, satisfaction, obedience, love, worship and the likes?

Ar-Raghib al-Isfahani says in his book al-Mufradat, p.265, “The origin of thanking is from ein shukra.”[1]

It means from an eye full of tears or a spring full of pure water. Therefore, the meaning of gratefulness is that the inners of man become full of the mention of Allah and that he pays full attention to the blessings of Allah: how he gets them and how he uses them.

Khawaja Naseeruddeen at-Toossi, known as the teacher of the human beings and the eleventh mind, says about the fact of gratefulness as mentioned by allama al-Majlisi: “Gratefulness is the best and most exalted of deeds.”

 You should know that gratefulness is meeting blessings with saying, doing and intention. Gratefulness depends on three bases:

The first: knowing the Benefactor and His suitable aspects, and appreciating blessings and acknowledging that all the blessings whether apparent or hidden are from Allah the Almighty. The real benefactor is no one save Allah the Exalted and all the means between man and these blessings and talents are determined by the will of Allah.

The second base is the coming true of “The State.” The State here means being submissive and humble before the Benefactor and being happy and delighted with blessings. We should know that all the blessings are Divine gifts from Allah the Almighty to His slaves and as evidence of the care of Allah towards His slaves. The sign of the coming true of the State is that we should not be delighted with material blessings except in a way that brings us nearer to Allah.

The third base of gratefulness is doing. Doing should appear in three stages: the heart, the tongue and the organs.

The Doing of the Heart is glorifying Allah, praising Him, pondering on His creatures, doings, and mercy and having determination to give goodness to all of the creatures.

As for the Doing of the Tongue, it is accomplished by showing words of thankfulness, praise, glorifying Allah, enjoining people to do good and forbidding them from doing bad.

The Doing of the Organs is using them to worship Allah and obey Him and keeping them away from disobeying Him.

Hence, the real meaning of gratefulness shows that gratefulness is one of the aspects of perfection. It is so little that gratefulness appears in a full way by the people who have enjoyed the blessings as the Holy Qur'an says:

“…and very few of My servants are grateful. 34:13”

Gratefulness for the divine blessings, according to the previous meaning, is a reasonable and legal obligation. Gratefulness for blessings becomes real by using these blessings in the ways Allah has determined. In fact, worship and complete servitude to Allah is achieved by real gratefulness for the blessings.

Allah says:

“Therefore eat of what Allah has given you, lawful and good (things), and give thanks for Allah's favor if Him do you serve” Qur’an 16:114

 “…therefore seek the sustenance from Allah, and serve Him and be grateful to Him; to Him you shall be brought back.” Qur’an 29:17

Being grateful for blessings is achieved by refraining from sins. Full gratefulness is to say, “Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.”[2]

Being grateful for blessings is by using them in worshipping, being obedient, helping people, doing good to them and by refraining from all sins and bad doings.