Today’s topic concerns:
‘Whoever does not thank [Allah] for His blessings, then he has made himself susceptible to losing it. And whoever thanks [Allah] for His blessings, has indeed shown it its due respect.’
And thanking Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ) [is insurmountable in worth, given] His blessings that cannot be counted. [Thanking Allah is] One characteristic from the characteristics of Allah’s slaves who are among Al-Muttaqin - who are very few - those who truly fear Allah, as Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ) said:
وَقَلِيلٌ مِّنْ عِبَادِيَ الشَّكُورُ ﴿١٣﴾
But few of My slaves are grateful.
[Surat Saba’: 13]
إِن تَكْفُرُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ عَنكُمْ ۖ وَلَا يَرْضَىٰ لِعِبَادِهِ الْكُفْرَ ۖ وَإِن تَشْكُرُوا يَرْضَهُ لَكُمْ ۗ....﴿٧﴾
If you disbelieve, then verily, Allah is not in need of you, He likes not disbelief
for His slaves. And if you are grateful (by being believers), He is pleased
therewith for you.
[Surat Az-Zumar: 7]
Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ) is pleased with the thankful slave. And [attaining] the pleasure of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ) is linked to thanking Him and praising Him. Whenever a slave thanks his Lord, he earns Allah’s pleasure. Not only that, but the blessing will increase. If the slave is thankful to his Lord, He will increase the bounty and bless it.
I seek refuge in Allah from Satan the outcast.
In the Name of Allah, the All-beneficent, the All-merciful.
وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِي لَشَدِيدٌ ﴿٧﴾
And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: “If you give thanks (by accepting
Faith and worshiping none but Allah), I will give you more (of My Blessings),
but if you are thankless (i.e., disbelievers), verily!
My Punishment is indeed severe.”
[Surat Ibrahim: 7]
If a believing slave is thankful for Allah’s blessing, He (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ) has made a promise upon Himself to increase it and bless it. And whoever isungrateful for the blessing, denies it, and does not thank Allah for it, there is no doubt Allah’s (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ) punishment is severe. The ungrateful slave inevitably causes his blessing to be spoiled.
And beware of the punishment of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ), and beware of denying the blessings which cannot be thanked enough for. It is from Allah’s (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ) attributes that He is pleased and angry. If He is angry, He avenges, and He converts the blessings into that which brings sorrow. And transforms His bounties into trials, this is how the ungrateful one is requited.
The ungrateful one that denies the blessings of Allah and doesn’t give it its due thanks, Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ), will take it from him.
If you have a blessing then nurture it, for sins discontinue blessings. And appreciate it by obeying the Lord of the slaves, for He is quick to avenge. And beware of committing oppression as much as you can, for the oppression of people is severely detrimental.
The blessing is always connected to gratitude. If a slave wishes for it to persist then he should be grateful for it, and doing so will increase it. If a person thanks Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ) for it, Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ) promised to increase it.
So as long as you are thankful for it, it will remain, be blessed, increase, and will persist and always endure. And the increasing and blessing of it will not cease from Allah until the slave ceases his gratitude.
The principle we know of is: ‘If you give thanks (by accepting Faith and worshiping none but Allah), I will give you more (of My Blessings).’ And Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ) does not break His promise. Verily Allah is King and Owner of Dominion, the Handler of all affairs, the Settler of the slaves’ affairs in however way He pleases.
I seek refuge in Allah from Satan the outcast.
In the Name of Allah, the All-beneficent, the All-merciful.
قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ مَالِكَ الْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِي الْمُلْكَ مَن تَشَاءُ وَتَنزِعُ الْمُلْكَ مِمَّن تَشَاءُ وَتُعِزُّ مَن تَشَاءُ وَتُذِلُّ مَن تَشَاءُ ۖ بِيَدِكَ الْخَيْرُ ۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ﴿٢٦﴾
Say (O Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم)): “O Allah! Possessor of the kingdom, You give the
kingdom to whom You will, and You take the kingdom from whom You will,
and You endue with honor whom You will, and You humiliate whom You will.
In Your Hand is the good. Verily, You are Able to do all things.
[Surat Aal-Imran: 26]
Thanking Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ) for His blessings that cannot be counted, is a great status and lofty rank. Allah loves to be praised. Ibn Mas’ud (رضي الله عنه) said:
وَلاَ شَىْءَ أَحَبُّ إِلَيْهِ الْمَدْحُ مِنَ اللَّهِ، لِذَلِكَ مَدَحَ نَفْسَهُ
“None loves one's own praise more than Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, does. It is because of this that He has praised Himself…”
[Bukhari: 4634, Muslim: 2760]
So, Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ) loves to be praised and thanked. Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ) ordered Dawud (عليه السلام):
اعْمَلُوا آلَ دَاوُودَ شُكْرًا ۚ...﴿١٣﴾
“Work you, O family of Dawud (David), with thanks!”
[Surat Saba: 13]
It was narrated that there was not a single member of the house of Dawud (عليه السلام) at that time, except they were standing in prayer to Allah, bowing, or prostrating, or remembering Allah, or fasting around the clock. There was always someone from his offspring remembering Allah.
Our beloved, the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم), was a thankful slave. Narrated by ‘Aisha, the Mother of the Believers (رضي الله عنها), in the Sahih Hadith:
أَنَّ نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانَ يَقُومُ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ حَتَّى تَتَفَطَّرَ قَدَمَاهُ فَقَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ لِمَ تَصْنَعُ هَذَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَقَدْ غَفَرَ اللَّهُ لَكَ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِكَ وَمَا تَأَخَّرَ قَالَ " أَفَلاَ أُحِبُّ أَنْ أَكُونَ عَبْدًا شَكُورًا "
“The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) used to offer prayer at night (for such a long time) that his feet used to crack.” (i.e., they used to rip, swell up, and bleed) ‘Aisha then said: "O Allah's Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم)! Why do you do it while Allah has forgiven you your faults of the past and those to follow?" He taught us a principle, saying, "Shouldn't I love to be a thankful slave (of Allah)?” (صلى الله عليه وسلم).
[Bukhari: 4837]
For Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jamā’ah, Emaan has three pillars: Saying of the tongue, belief in the heart, and acting upon the pillars [with your limbs]. And likewise thanking Allah has three pillars, acknowledging (the blessing) in the heart, thanking [Allah for the blessing] by the tongue, and using this blessing in the obedience of Allah.
You acknowledge in your heart that you have no blessing except with the favor and generosity of Allah. Always thank Allah, like the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم):
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ عَلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ
Alḥamdu lillāhi `alā kulli ḥāl.
(Praise be to Allah in all circumstances)
الْحَمْـدُ للهِ الَّذي أَطْعَمَنـي هـذا وَرَزَقَنـيهِ مِنْ غَـيْرِ حَوْلٍ مِنِّي وَلا قُوَّة
Alhamdu lillāhi ‘l-ladhī aṭ`amanī hādhā, wa razaqanīhi min ghayri
ḥawlin minnī wa lā quwwah.
(Praise is to Allah Who has given me this food, and sustained me with it
though I was unable to do it and powerless)
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي بِنِعْمَتِهِ تَتِمُّ الصَّالِحَاتُ
Alḥamdu lillāhi ‘lladhi bi ni`matihi tatimmuṣ-ṣāliḥāt.
(Praise is to Allah Who by His blessings all good things are perfected.)
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
Al-ḥamdu li-llāhi rabbi l-ʿālamīn
(All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the worlds)
This is being thankful by the tongue. Always perfecting praise to Allah, glorifying Him, being sincere to Him, and speaking about His favors [upon you], and using your limbs in the obedience of Allah - like making Wudu’, praying, bowing, prostrating, etc.
These are the three pillars of thankfulness to Allah. The blessings Allah [bestowed] upon His slaves will remain being neglected [by most], as we are not able to comprehend and appreciate it [as it should be].
For example, the blessing of eyesight, how important is it to us? The only one who will be able to recognize its weight as a blessing is the one who lost it. The blind one who walks with a red walking stick, this is the one who realizes the blessing of eyesight.
So look at the plentiful blessings Allah bestowed upon us, that cannot be counted. Allah gave them to us, so it is upon us to thank Him (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ).
In addition, another form of thankfulness to Allah is the prostration of thankfulness. A person prostrates [to Allah] out of gratitude when a blessing is revealed to them, or when they or the Muslims have been averted from a catastrophe, it is then the prostration of thankfulness is performed.
O Allah make clear to us the truth, and grant us the ability in following it, and show us the falsehood for what it is, and grant us the ability to avoid it. O Allah make us guided guiders, and not misguided, nor of those who misguide others, and to close our Dua, All the Praises and Thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds