Blessings Of Allah To Man & How To
Thank Allah
Article
Assembled By Mallam Abba Abana, Kubwa, Abuja, Nigeria
emails:gonidamgamiri@yahoo.com; abba.abana@gmail.com
Saturday July 16th
2022 CE (Dhul Hajj, 17th 1443 AH)
TEL +2348186961697 (WHATSAPP)
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيم
Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was
Salaam 'ala Rasulillah. As-Salaam Alaikum WA-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu.
Praise be to Allaah; we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with
Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah
guides will never be led astray, and whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one
can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allaah, and I bear witness
that Muhammad (ﷺ) is His slave and Messenger.
وَمَا خَلَقۡتُ ٱلۡجِنَّ وَٱلۡإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعۡبُدُونِ (٥٦)
I have only created Jinns and
men, that they may serve Me. (Holy Quran chapter 51.56)
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ
ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَلۡتَنظُرۡ نَفۡسٌ۬ مَّا قَدَّمَتۡ لِغَدٍ۬ۖ وَٱتَّقُواْ
ٱللَّهَۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ خَبِيرُۢ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ (١٨)
O ye who
believe! Fear Allah and let every soul look to what (provision) he has sent
forth for the morrow. Yea, fear Allah: for Allah is well-acquainted with (all)
that ye do.
فَوَيۡلٌ۬
لِّلَّذِينَ يَكۡتُبُونَ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ بِأَيۡدِيہِمۡ ثُمَّ يَقُولُونَ هَـٰذَا مِنۡ
عِندِ ٱللَّهِ لِيَشۡتَرُواْ بِهِۦ ثَمَنً۬ا قَلِيلاً۬ۖ فَوَيۡلٌ۬ لَّهُم مِّمَّا
ڪَتَبَتۡ أَيۡدِيهِمۡ وَوَيۡلٌ۬ لَّهُم مِّمَّا يَكۡسِبُونَ (٧٩)
Woe,
then, to those who write the book with their hands and then say: This is from
Allah, so that they may take for it a small price; therefore woe to them for
what their hands have written and woe to them for what they earn.
لِّلَّهِ مَا فِى
ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِۗ وَإِن تُبۡدُواْ مَا فِىٓ أَنفُسِڪُمۡ أَوۡ
تُخۡفُوهُ يُحَاسِبۡكُم بِهِ ٱللَّهُۖ فَيَغۡفِرُ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ مَن
يَشَآءُۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ ڪُلِّ شَىۡءٍ۬ قَدِيرٌ (٢٨٤)
Whatever
is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth is Allah's; and whether
you manifest what is in your minds or hide it, Allah will call you to account
according to it; then He will forgive whom He pleases and chastise whom
He pleases, and Allah has power over all things.
إِنَّمَآ أَمۡوَٲلُكُمۡ
وَأَوۡلَـٰدُكُمۡ فِتۡنَةٌ۬ۚ وَٱللَّهُ عِندَهُ ۥۤ أَجۡرٌ عَظِيمٌ۬ (١٥)
Your
riches and your children may be but a trial: but in the Presence of Allah is
the highest Reward.
Preamble.
This
article is briefly centered on Blessings of Allah to Man & How to Thank
Allah.
1) What are the best ways a Muslim can Thank Allah for
all the blessings He has bestowed on us?
2) How can we remember blessings as enjoined by our
Lord? Is it what is meant mentioning them before people and speaking of them,
or is what is meant simply calling them to mind, or what?
3) What is to be said in sujood Al-Shukr (prostration
of gratitude)? What are the details of Sajdat al-Shukr, the prostration of
thankfulness to Allaah for something that has happened?
4) Is it permissible for a person who has bought a car
or a house to offer a sacrifice in gratitude to Allaah?
5) Is it permissible to prostrate and thank Allaah,
[may He be glorified and exalted], for blessings such as the blessing of
hearing?
Section
1
Remembering
Blessings And Giving Thanks For Them May Be Done In One’s Heart, In One’s Words
And By One’s Actions
Our
Lord, [may He be glorified and exalted], enjoins us in the Holy Qur’an to
remember the blessings that Allah has bestowed upon us, numerous blessings,
such as when He, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning]:
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ
ءَامَنُواْ ٱذۡكُرُواْ نِعۡمَةَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيۡكُمۡ إِذۡ جَآءَتۡكُمۡ جُنُودٌ۬ فَأَرۡسَلۡنَا عَلَيۡہِمۡ رِيحً۬ا وَجُنُودً۬ا لَّمۡ تَرَوۡهَاۚ
وَڪَانَ ٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ بَصِيرًا (٩) إِذۡ
“O you who have believed, remember the
favor of Allah upon you when armies came to [attack] you and We sent upon them
a wind and armies [of angels] you did not see. And ever is Allah , of what you
do, Seeing”
The
command mentioned in the verse quoted is a command to the Sahaabah and the
believers to remember the blessings of Allah and His grace towards them, and
His kindness to them in causing the defeat of their enemies and frustrating
their enemies’ plots.
Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him)
said:
Here Allah, may He be exalted, is speaking of His blessings, grace and
kindness to His believing slaves when He averted their enemies and inflicted
defeat upon them in the year when they came together and formed an alliance
against them, which was the year of al-Khandaq [the Trench].
When there is a command in the Qur’an to remember Allah’s blessing, what is
meant is to remember it in one’s heart, by calling to mind Allah’s grace and
favour in bestowing it upon His slaves; remembering it in one’s words, by
speaking of it; and remembering it in one’s physical actions, by not using that
blessing in ways that incur the wrath of Allah, may He be glorified and
exalted.
Remembering the blessing is giving thanks for it, and may be done in one’s
heart, in one’s words or in one’s actions; each of them confirms the others,
unless the gratitude is false.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said, commenting on the
verse (interpretation of the meaning):
وَلِلۡمُطَلَّقَـٰتِ
مَتَـٰعُۢ بِٱلۡمَعۡرُوفِۖ حَقًّا عَلَى ٱلۡمُتَّقِينَ (٢٤١)
“And remember the favor of Allah upon you”:
Remembering
may be done in one’s heart, in one’s words and in one’s actions. Remembering it
in one’s words means saying: Allah has blessed me with such and such, as Allah,
may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
وَأَمَّا
بِنِعۡمَةِ رَبِّكَ فَحَدِّثۡ (١١)
“But as for the
favor of your Lord, report [it]”.
So you should praise Allah, may He be
glorified and exalted, for it by saying: O Allah, to You be praise for what you
have blessed me with of wealth, or a wife, or children, and so on.
Remembering it in one’s heart is by calling it to mind and acknowledging that
it is a blessing from Allah.
Remembering it in one’s actions is by striving to obey Allah, and by showing
the effects of His blessing on you.
Al-Harawi said: What is meant by gratitude is three things: acknowledging the blessing,
then appreciating the blessing, then giving praise for it.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said, commenting on the words of
al-Harawi:
As for acknowledging it, that means calling it to mind, realizing its
significance and recognising it as a blessing in and of itself.
So acknowledging it is done in the mind.
Appreciating it means showing humility when receiving it from the Bestower, by
expressing one’s need for it and acknowledging that it came to him without him
deserving it and without him paying any price; rather he sees himself as being
completely dependent upon Allah. This attitude shows true appreciation.
“then giving praise for it”: praise for the Bestower in connection with the
blessing is of two types: general and specific.
The general type is ascribing to Him the attributes of generosity, kindness,
munificence and so on.
The specific type is speaking of His blessing, and stating that it came to him
from Him, as Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
وَأَمَّا
بِنِعۡمَةِ رَبِّكَ فَحَدِّثۡ (١١)
“But as for the
favor of your Lord, report [it]”.
Regarding
this reporting or speaking of the blessing that is enjoined, there are two
views:
The
first is that it means mentioning the blessing and speaking of it, by saying:
Allah has blessed me with such and such. Muqaatil said: Give thanks for what
Allah has mentioned of blessings to you in this soorah, such as helping
orphans, granting guidance after misguidance, and granting self-sufficiency
after poverty.
Speaking of the blessings of Allah is gratitude, as in the marfoo‘ hadith of
Jaabir: “Whoever has a favour done for him, let him reciprocate, and if he
cannot reciprocate, then let him praise [the person who did him the favour],
for if he praises him, then he has thanked him, but if he conceals it, then he
has been ungrateful towards him. And whoever pretends to have what he has not
been given is like one who wears two garments of falsehood.”
This hadith mentions three types of people: one who is grateful for the
blessing and gives praise for it; one who denies it and conceals it; and one
who pretends to be one of those who were given it when that is not the case, so
he pretends to have something that he was not given. In another marfoo‘ report
it says: “Whoever does not give thanks for a little will not give thanks for a
great deal, and whoever does not show gratitude to people has not shown
gratitude to Allah. Speaking of the blessing of Allah is gratitude, and not
speaking of it is ingratitude. Unity is a mercy and division is a punishment.”
The second view is that speaking of the blessing that is enjoined in this verse
[at the end of Soorat ad-Duha, quoted above] means calling people to Allah,
conveying His message and teaching the ummah. Mujaahid said: It refers to
Prophethood. Az-Zajjaaj said: It means: Convey that with which you [O Prophet]
have been sent, and speak of the Prophethood that Allah has bestowed upon you.
Al-Kalbi said: It refers to the Qur’an, which Allah commanded him to recite.
The correct view is that it includes both types, because each of them is it a
blessing for which it is enjoined to give thanks and speak of it. Manifesting
it is part of being grateful for it.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said regarding gratitude:
It is based on three pillars: acknowledging it inwardly, speaking of it
outwardly, and using it to earn the pleasure of the One Who granted it and
bestowed it.
Section 2
How
To Thank Allah For His Blessings
This
is how to thank and acknowledge Allah for His blessings:
1- You must acknowledge in your Heart that
the Giver of these blessings is Allah;
2- You must acknowledge that with your Tongue;
3- You give thanks with your Physical
Faculties by not letting them See
or Hear any Sin or Evil.
1. Gratitude, Appreciativeness, Thankfulness etc. towards Allah
2. The greatest ones are who thanked and recognized Allah
3. Allah’s blessings bestowed upon his slaves
4. Asking Allah to give thanks and recognitions to Him
5. How to thank and acknowledge Allah
a. How to thank Allah in your heart
b. How to thank Allah by your tongue
c. Gratitude of the physical faculties
Gratitude,
Appreciativeness, Thankfulness etc. towards Allah
Thanks or gratitude means reciprocating
kindness and giving praise to the one who has done good and kind things.
The one who is most deserving of thanks and praise from people is Allah [SWT],
may He be glorified and exalted, because of the great favours and blessings
that He has bestowed upon His slaves in both spiritual and worldly terms.
Allah has commanded us to give thanks to
Him for those blessings, and not to deny them. He says (interpretation of the
meaning):
فَٱذۡكُرُونِىٓ أَذۡكُرۡكُمۡ وَٱشۡڪُرُواْ لِى
وَلَا تَكۡفُرُونِ (١٥٢)
“Therefore remember Me (by praying,
glorifying). I will remember you, and be grateful to Me (for My countless
favours on you) and never be ungrateful to Me”
The
greatest ones are who thanked and recognized Allah
The
greatest ones who obeyed this command, and gave thanks to their Lord until they
deserved to be described as Shakir and Shakur (thankful) are the Prophets and
Messengers (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
إِنَّ إِبۡرَٲهِيمَ كَانَ أُمَّةً۬ قَانِتً۬ا لِّلَّهِ حَنِيفً۬ا وَلَمۡ يَكُ مِنَ ٱلۡمُشۡرِكِينَ (١٢٠) شَاڪِرً۬ا
لِّأَنۡعُمِهِۚ ٱجۡتَبَٮٰهُ وَهَدَٮٰهُ إِلَىٰ صِرَٲطٍ۬ مُّسۡتَقِيمٍ۬ (١٢١)
“Verily, Ibrahim was an Ummah (a leader
having all the good righteous qualities), or a nation, obedient to Allah, Hanif
(i.e. to worship none but Allah), and he was not one of those who were
Al-Mushrikun (polytheists, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah, and
those who joined partners with Allah). (He was) thankful for His (Allah’s)
favours. He (Allah) chose him (as an intimate friend) and guided him to a
Straight Path (Islamic Monotheism — neither Judaism nor Christianity).
ذُرِّيَّةَ مَنۡ حَمَلۡنَا
مَعَ نُوحٍۚ إِنَّهُ ۥ كَانَ عَبۡدً۬ا شَكُورً۬ا (٣)
“O offspring of those whom We carried (in
the ship) with Nûh (Noah)! Verily, he was a grateful slave.”
Allah’s Blessings Bestowed Upon His
Slaves
Allah has mentioned some of the blessings that He has bestowed upon His
slaves, and has commanded them to be grateful for them, and has told us that
few of His slaves give thanks to Him:
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ڪُلُواْ مِن طَيِّبَـٰتِ مَا رَزَقۡنَـٰكُمۡ
وَٱشۡكُرُواْ لِلَّهِ إِن ڪُنتُمۡ إِيَّاهُ تَعۡبُدُونَ (١٧٢)
1. “O you who believe (in the Oneness of
Allah — Islamic Monotheism)! Eat of the lawful things that We have provided you
with, and be grateful to Allah, if it is indeed He Whom you worship”
وَلَقَدۡ مَكَّنَّـٰڪُمۡ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَجَعَلۡنَا لَكُمۡ فِيہَا
مَعَـٰيِشَۗ قَلِيلاً۬ مَّا تَشۡكُرُونَ (١٠)
2. “And surely, We gave you authority on
the earth and appointed for you therein provisions (for your life). Little
thanks do you give.”
3. “And among His Signs is this, that He sends the winds as glad tidings,
giving you a taste of His Mercy (i.e. rain), and that the ships may sail at His
Command, and that you may seek of His Bounty, in order that you may be
thankful. ”
4. Among spiritual blessings, He
mentions (interpretation of the meaning):
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ
إِذَا قُمۡتُمۡ إِلَى ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ فَٱغۡسِلُواْ وُجُوهَكُمۡ وَأَيۡدِيَكُمۡ إِلَى
ٱلۡمَرَافِقِ وَٱمۡسَحُواْ بِرُءُوسِكُمۡ وَأَرۡجُلَڪُمۡ إِلَى ٱلۡكَعۡبَيۡنِۚ وَإِن كُنتُمۡ جُنُبً۬ا فَٱطَّهَّرُواْۚ وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرۡضَىٰٓ أَوۡ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ
أَوۡ جَآءَ أَحَدٌ۬ مِّنكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡغَآٮِٕطِ أَوۡ لَـٰمَسۡتُمُ ٱلنِّسَآءَ فَلَمۡ تَجِدُواْ مَآءً۬ فَتَيَمَّمُواْ صَعِيدً۬ا طَيِّبً۬ا فَٱمۡسَحُواْ بِوُجُوهِڪُمۡ وَأَيۡدِيكُم مِّنۡهُۚ مَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ
لِيَجۡعَلَ عَلَيۡڪُم مِّنۡ حَرَجٍ۬ وَلَـٰكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمۡ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعۡمَتَهُ ۥ
عَلَيۡكُمۡ لَعَلَّڪُمۡ تَشۡكُرُونَ (٦)
“O you who believe! When you intend to
offer As-Salah (the prayer), wash your faces and your hands (forearms) up to
the elbows, rub (by passing wet hands over) your heads, and (wash) your feet up
to the ankles. If you are in a state of Janabah (i.e. after a sexual
discharge), purify yourselves (bathe your whole body). But if you are ill or on
a journey, or any of you comes after answering the call of nature, or you have
been in contact with women (i.e. sexual intercourse), and you find no water,
then perform Tayammum (dry ablution) with clean earth and rub therewith your
faces and hands. Allah does not want to place you in difficulty, but He wants to
purify you, and to complete His favour to you that you may be thankful.”
And
there are many other blessings. We have only mentioned some of these blessings
here; listing all of them is impossible, as Allah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
وَءَاتَٮٰكُم مِّن ڪُلِّ مَا سَأَلۡتُمُوهُۚ
وَإِن تَعُدُّواْ نِعۡمَتَ ٱللَّهِ
لَا تُحۡصُوهَآۗ إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ لَظَلُومٌ۬ ڪَفَّارٌ۬ (٣٤)
“And He gave you of all that you asked
for, and if you count the blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count
them. Verily, man is indeed an extreme wrongdoer, a disbeliever (an extreme
ingrate who denies Allah’s blessings by disbelief, and by worshipping others
besides Allah, and by disobeying Allah and His Prophet Muhammad.”
Then
Allah blessed us and forgave us our shortcomings in giving thanks for these
blessings. He says (interpretation of the meaning):
وَإِن تَعُدُّواْ نِعۡمَةَ ٱللَّهِ
لَا تُحۡصُوهَآۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ۬ (١٨)
“And if you
would count the favours of Allah, never could you be able to count them. Truly,
Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
Asking Allah To
Give Thanks To Him
The
Muslim is always asking his Lord to help him to give thanks to Him, because
were it not for Allah’s helping His slave, he would not be able to give thanks.
Hence it is prescribed in the sahih Sunnah (authentic prophetic teachings) to
ask for help from Allah to give thanks to Him.
It was narrated from Mu'adh ibn Jabal that the Messenger of Allah (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him) took his hand and said: “O Mu’adh, by Allah I
love you, by Allah I love you.” Then he said, “I advise you, O Mu’adh, do not
fail following every prayer to say: O Allah help me to remember You, thank You
and worship You properly.” Narrated by Abu Dawud and al-Nasai .
Gratitude for blessings is a cause of them being increased, as Allah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
وَإِذۡ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمۡ
لَٮِٕن شَڪَرۡتُمۡ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمۡۖ وَلَٮِٕن ڪَفَرۡتُمۡ إِنَّ عَذَابِى لَشَدِيدٌ۬ (٧)
“And (remember) when your Lord
proclaimed: ‘If you give thanks (by accepting faith and worshipping 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’.”
How
can a person thank his Lord for His great blessings? His gratitude should
fulfill all the necessary conditions, which are gratitude of the heart,
gratitude of the tongue and gratitude of the physical faculties.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“Gratitude may be in the heart, in submission and humility; on the tongue, in
praise and acknowledgement; and in the physical faculties, by means of
obedience and submission.”
How To Thank Allah In Your Heart
The details of that:
Gratitude of the heart: what is meant is that the heart senses the value of the
blessings that Allah has bestowed upon His slave, and fully acknowledges that
the One Who has bestowed these great blessings is Allah Alone, with no partner
or associate. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
وَمَا بِكُم مِّن نِّعۡمَةٍ۬ فَمِنَ ٱللَّهِۖ ثُمَّ إِذَا مَسَّكُمُ ٱلضُّرُّ
فَإِلَيۡهِ تَجۡـَٔرُونَ (٥٣)
“And whatever of blessings and good
things you have, it is from Allah.”
This
acknowledgement is not mustahabb (recommended), rather it is obligatory.
Whoever attributes these blessings to anyone other than Allah has disbelieved.
Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sa’di (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“What man should do is attribute blessings to Allah and acknowledge them fully.
Thus he will attain complete Tawhid. Whoever denies the blessings of Allah in
his heart or on his tongue, is a kafir (disbeliever) and has nothing to do with
Islam.
Whoever affirms in his heart that all blessings come from Allah Alone, but
verbally he sometimes attributes them to Allah and sometimes attributes them to
himself, or his actions, or the efforts of someone else -- as happens on the
lips of many people -- this is something that the person must repent from, and
he should not attribute blessings to anyone except their Creator, and he must
strive to make himself do that, because faith and Tawhid cannot be attained
except by attributing blessings to Allah.
The gratitude which is the head of faith is based on three pillars:
acknowledgement of the heart of all the blessings that Allah has bestowed upon
him, and upon others, and talking about them; praising Allah for them; and
using them to obey the One Who bestowed the blessings and to worship Him.”
Allah says, describing the situation of one who denies attribution of blessings
to Allah (interpretation of the meaning):
يَعۡرِفُونَ نِعۡمَتَ
ٱللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُنڪِرُونَہَا
وَأَڪۡثَرُهُمُ ٱلۡكَـٰفِرُونَ (٨٣)
“They recognise the Grace of Allah, yet
they deny it (by worshipping others besides Allah) and most of them are
disbelievers (deny the Prophethood of Muhammad).”.
Ibn
Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“I.e., they acknowledge that Allah is the One Who grants them that, and He is
the One Who bestows that favour upon them, yet despite that they deny it, and
worship others alongside Him, and attribute victory and provision to someone
other than Him.”
How To Thank Allah By Your Tongue
As for gratitude of the tongue, it means acknowledging verbally - after
believing in the heart- that the One Who grants blessing is indeed Allah, and
keeping the tongue busy with praise of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted.
Allah says, explaining His blessings to His slave Muhammad (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him):
وَوَجَدَكَ عَآٮِٕلاً۬ فَأَغۡنَىٰ (٨)
“And He found you poor and made you rich
(self-sufficient with self-contentment)?”
Then He reminded him in return for that:
وَأَمَّا
بِنِعۡمَةِ رَبِّكَ فَحَدِّثۡ (١١)
“And proclaim the grace of your Lord (i.e.
the Prophethood and all other graces)”
Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy
on him) said:
“I.e.,
as you were poor and in need, then Allah made you rich and independent of
means: then speak of the blessing of Allah bestowed upon you.”
Anas ibn Malik said: the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) said: “Allah is pleased with a person who eats some food and then
praises Him for it, or who drinks some drink and then praises Him for it.”
Abu’l-‘Abbas al-Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“Praise here means gratitude, and we have seen above that praise may take the
place of gratitude but gratitude may not take the place of praise. This
indicates that gratitude for blessings -- even if they are few -- is a means of
attaining the pleasure of Allah, may He be exalted, which is the noblest
situation of the people of Paradise. When the people of Paradise say, “You have
given to us what You have not given to anyone among Your creation,” Allah will
say to them: “ Shall I not give you something better than that?” They will say,
“What is it? Have You not brightened our faces, and admitted us to Paradise and
saved us from Hell?” He will say, “I bestow My pleasure upon you, and I will
never be angry with you after that.”
Gratitude is a means of attaining that great honour because it implies
acknowledgement of the Bestower of blessings and acknowledging Him Alone as the
Creator of that blessing and the One Who caused it to reach the recipient of
the blessing, as an honour and favour from the Bestower, and that the recipient
of the blessing is poor and is in need of that blessing, and cannot do without
it. So this is an acknowledgement of the rights and bounty of Allah, and the
duty and need of the slave. So Allah has caused the reward for that acknowledgement
to be this great honour.”
Hence some of the salaf (righteous predecessors) said: Whoever conceals a
blessing has denied it, but whoever manifests it and spreads it has given
thanks for it.
Ibn al-Qayyim said, commenting on that:
“This is based on the words: “When Allah bestows a blessing upon a person,
He loves the effect of His blessing to be seen on His slave.”
‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “Remind one another
of blessings, for mentioning them is gratitude.”
Gratitude Of The Physical Faculties.
Gratitude of the physical faculties means using one's physical
faculties in obedience of Allah and keeping them from committing sins and acts
of disobedience that Allah has forbidden.
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
يَعۡمَلُونَ لَهُ ۥ
مَا يَشَآءُ مِن مَّحَـٰرِيبَ وَتَمَـٰثِيلَ وَجِفَانٍ۬ كَٱلۡجَوَابِ وَقُدُورٍ۬ رَّاسِيَـٰتٍۚ ٱعۡمَلُوٓاْ ءَالَ
دَاوُ ۥدَ شُكۡرً۬اۚ وَقَلِيلٌ۬ مِّنۡ عِبَادِىَ ٱلشَّكُورُ (١٣)
“‘Work you, O family of Dawud (David),
with thanks!””
‘Aishah
said: When the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
prayed, he would stand for so long that his feet became swollen. ‘Aishah said:
O Messenger of Allah, are you doing this when Allah has forgiven your past and
future sins? He said: “O ‘Aishah, should I not be a thankful slave?”
Ibn Battal (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“Al-Tabari said: the correct view concerning that is that the person’s
gratitude is affirming that this is from Allah and no one else, and affirmation
of this fact is action, and it is confirmed by action. As for the affirmation
which is contradicted by action, the one who does that does not deserve to be
called grateful at all. But it may be called gratitude of the tongue. The
evidence that this is true is the words of Allah (interpretation of the
meaning):
يَعۡمَلُونَ لَهُ ۥ
مَا يَشَآءُ مِن مَّحَـٰرِيبَ وَتَمَـٰثِيلَ وَجِفَانٍ۬ كَٱلۡجَوَابِ وَقُدُورٍ۬ رَّاسِيَـٰتٍۚ ٱعۡمَلُوٓاْ ءَالَ
دَاوُ ۥدَ شُكۡرً۬اۚ وَقَلِيلٌ۬ مِّنۡ عِبَادِىَ ٱلشَّكُورُ (١٣)
“ ‘Work you, O family of Dawud (David),
with thanks!’”
It is well known that He did not order
them, when He said that to them, to affirm His blessings, because they did not
deny that this was a favour from Him to them. Rather He commanded them to give
thanks for His blessings by obeying Him in their actions. Similarly, the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), when his feet swelled up as
he was praying at night, said: “Should I not be a thankful slave?”
Abu Harun said:
“I entered upon Abu Hazim, and said to him: May Allah have mercy on you, what
is the gratitude of the eyes? He said: If you see something good with them, you
mention it, and if you see something bad with them, you conceal it. I said:
What is the gratitude of the ears? He said: If you hear something good with them,
you remember it, and if you hear something bad with them, you forget it.”
Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“Gratitude is of two degrees, one of which is obligatory, which is doing
obligatory actions and avoiding haram (unlawful) things. This is essential and
is sufficient as gratitude for these blessings.
Hence
one of the salaf said: “Gratitude means giving up sin.”
And one of them said: “Gratitude means not using any blessing to help
one to disobey Him.”
Abu Hazim al-Zahid mentioned gratitude of all the physical faculties: “(It
means) refraining from sin, and using them to help one to do acts of obedience.
Then he said: As for the one who gives thanks with his tongue but does not give
thanks with all of his physical faculties, his likeness is that of a man who
has a cloak and takes hold of the edge of it, but does not put it on, so it is
of no benefit to him against cold or heat or snow or rain.
The second degree of gratitude is that
which is mustahabb, which is when, after doing obligatory actions and avoiding
haram things, a person does supererogatory acts of worship. This is the degree
of those who have gone ahead and closer to Allah.”
In order to be grateful to your Lord for the blessings that He has bestowed
upon you, you must acknowledge in your heart that the Giver of these blessings
and the Bestower is Allah, may He be exalted, so you venerate Him, attribute it
to Him, and you acknowledge that with your tongue, so you give thanks to Him
after waking from sleep for having given new life, and after eating and
drinking for having provided you with them and bestowed them upon you, and so
on with every blessing that you see in your life.
You give thanks with your physical faculties by not letting them see or hear
any sin or evil, such as singing or gossip; you do not walk with your feet to
haram places; you do not use your hands to commit evil, such as haram writing
in a relationship with non-mahram women (one whom you can marry according to
Islamic law), or writing haram contracts, or making or doing anything haram.
Giving thanks with the physical faculties for blessings also includes using
them to obey Allah, by reading Quran and books of knowledge, listening to
beneficial and useful things, and so on with all the faculties which you should
use in various kinds of obedience and worship.
Remember that gratitude for blessings is a blessing which needs to be given
thanks for, so that one will continue to enjoy the blessings of his Lord,
thanking his Lord for those blessings and praising Him for helping him to be
among those who give thanks.
We ask Allah, may He be exalted, to help us and you to do that which He loves
and which pleases Him.
Section
3
Sajdat
Al-Shukr (Prostration Of Thankfulness)
There
is no specific du’aa’ narrated in the ahaadeeth for sujood al-shukr, hence the
scholars said that what is to be said in sujood al-shukr is the same tasbeeh
and du’aa’ as are said when prostrating in prayer. So one should say Subhaana
Rabbiy al-A’laa (Glory be to my Lord Most High), Allaahumma Laka Sajadtu Wa Bika Aamantu
Wa Laka Aslamtu, Sajada Wajhi Lilladhi Khalaqahu Wa Sawwarahu Wa Shaqqa Sam’ahu
Wa Basarahu, Tabaaraka Allaah Ahsan Ul-Khaaliqeen (O Allaah, unto
You I prostrate, in You I believe and to You I submit. My face has prostrated
to the One who created and formed it, and gave it hearing and sight. Blessed be
Allaah, the best of creators). Then he should make du’aa’ as he likes.
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: the description, rulings and
conditions of sujood al-shukr are the same as those for sujood al-tilaawah
(prostration required when reciting certain verses of Qur’aan).
And he said concerning sujood al-tilaawah: he should say in this prostration
what he says in the prostration during prayer.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “Sujood al-shukr is
done in response to a calamity that is averted or a blessing which come to a
person. It is like sujood al-tilaawah outside prayer. Some of the scholars said
that wudoo’ and takbeer is required, and some said that only the first takbeer
is required. Then he should fall down in prostration, and make du’aa’ after
saying “Subhaana Rabbiy al-A’laa (Glory be to my Lord Most High).”
And Allaah knows best. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet
Muhammad.
Sajdat al-Shukr is prescribed for anything that makes one happy, whether it is
attaining some benefit or warding off some harm. The evidence (daleel) for this
is to be found in the Ahaadeeth and Aathaar (reports). Among the Ahaadeeth is
the Hadeeth of Abu Bakrah (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said that when
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) heard any news that
made him glad, he would fall down prostrating to Allaah, may He be exalted.
(Reported by the five except al-Nisaa’i; al-Tirmidhi said, it is hasan
ghareeb). According to the version narrated by Ahmad: he saw the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), when news reached him that his troops had
prevailed over their enemy, he was lying with his head in ‘Aa’ishah’s lap, then
he got up and fell in prostration.
Another hadeeth is that narrated by ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf, who said: the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went out to the place where
the sadaqah (charitable donations) was kept, then he faced the Qiblah and fell
in prostration, remaining like that for a long time. Then he raised his head
and said, “Jibreel came to me with good news, he said, ‘Allaah says to you,
“Whoever sends blessings on you, I will send blessings on him, and whoever
sends greetings of peace to you, I will send greetings of peace to him,”’ so I
prostrated in thankfulness to Allaah.”
(Narrated by Ahmad. Al-Mundhiri said: the hadeeth of Sajdat al-Shukr came from
the hadeeth of al-Baraa’ with a saheeh isnaad, and from the hadeeth of Ka’b ibn
Maalik and others.)
The reports include the following:
Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) prostrated when he heard the news that
Musaylimah had been killed.
‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib prostrated when he found Dhu’l-Thadiyah among the Khawaarij.
Ka’b ibn Maalik prostrated at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) when he was given the glad tidings that Allaah had accepted
his repentance.
And Allaah is the source of strength. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad and
his family and companions.
Section 4
Is
It Permissible To Offer A Sacrifice In Gratitude To Allaah For A Specific Blessing?
The
blessings that Allaah bestows upon people are many, and His bounty and
generosity towards them are vast. A blessing can only be responded to by giving
thanks and appreciating it. Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, has
enjoined giving thanks to Him, for He is Appreciative and loves those who give
thanks.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“So
eat of the lawful and good food which Allaah has provided for you. And be
grateful for the Graces of Allaah, if it is He Whom you worship”
إِنَّمَا تَعۡبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ أَوۡثَـٰنً۬ا وَتَخۡلُقُونَ إِفۡكًاۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ تَعۡبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ لَا
يَمۡلِكُونَ لَكُمۡ رِزۡقً۬ا فَٱبۡتَغُواْ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرِّزۡقَ وَٱعۡبُدُوهُ وَٱشۡكُرُواْ لَهُ ۥۤۖ
إِلَيۡهِ تُرۡجَعُونَ (١٧)
“seek your provision from Allaah
(Alone), and worship Him (Alone), and be grateful to Him. To Him (Alone) you
will be brought back”
Part
of being grateful to Allaah is seeking to draw closer to Him by means of
different kinds of acts of worship and to endear oneself to Him by means of
good deeds such as prayer, zakaah, fasting and so on.
Another part of being grateful to Allaah is giving thanks to Him by means of
sacrifice rituals, which means offering a sacrifice for the sake of Allaah.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his
commentary on the verse
فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ
وَٱنۡحَرۡ (٢)
“Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord and
sacrifice (to Him only)”:
What
is meant is that prayer and sacrifice are the best of the things by means of
which one may draw closer to Allaah, and the usage of the word fa (translated
here as “therefore”) points to the reason, i.e., doing that – prayer and
sacrifice – in gratitude for that which Allaah has given him of al-Kawthar (a
river in Paradise) and much goodness. So he should give thanks to the One Who
has blessed him and worship Him, and the two greatest types of worship are
these two acts of worship; indeed, prayer is the ultimate act of worship. It is
as if He is saying to him: We have given you al-Kawthar and a great deal of
goodness, and We have blessed you with that because you have been doing these
two acts of worship in gratitude for Our blessing to you; these are the reasons
why We have bestowed these blessings upon you, so do these two things for Us,
for prayer and sacrifice are surrounded by blessings that come before them and
after them. The best financial act of worship is sacrifice and the best
physical act of worship is prayer, and the benefits that a slave of Allaah may
gain from prayer cannot be compared to any other type of worship, as is known
by those whose hearts are alive and those of high aspirations. Adding to it the
benefits of offering sacrifice, which is a sign of devotion to Allaah and
thinking positively of Him, and having strong certainty and faith about that
which is in the hand of Allaah is something wonderful, if that is accompanied
by faith and sincerity. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
obeyed the command of his Lord and prayed and sacrificed a great deal to Him;
he even sacrificed sixty-three camels with his own hand during the Farewell
Pilgrimage, and he used to offer sacrifices on the Eids and at other times..
If Allaah bestows a great blessing upon a person – and all His blessing are
great – then it is mustahabb for him to give thanks to Allaah for it by showing
kindness to people, so he should offer a sacrifice and make food and invite his
brothers and friends, and give charity to those who are in need.
It says in al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah (26/180-181):
It is mustahabb to give thanks anew when new blessings come, by speaking words
of praise. Gratitude for that may also be expressed by doing acts of worship,
which includes offering a sacrifice or inviting people to a meal. The fuqaha’
have mentioned the kinds of meals that may be offered when blessing are
renewed, such as the wakeerah which is made for a new home, or naqee’ah which
is made on the return of an absent loved one, and hidhaaq which is done when a
child completes a reading of the Qur’aan.
The view of the Hanbalis, the more correct view among the Shaafa’is, is that
these meals are mustahabb.
Ibn Qudaamah said: These invitations – other than the wedding feast (waleemah)
and ‘aqeeqah – are something good, but they are like invitations that are given
for no reason; if the person who does them intends thereby to give thanks to
Allaah for His blessing and to feed his brothers and offer food, then he will
have the reward for that in sha Allaah. End quote.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked:
If one of my children does well in school, is it permissible for me to offer a
sacrifice to celebrate his success, and to give thanks to Allaah?
He replied:
There is nothing wrong with making food (waleemah) if the children or one of
them succeeds, and inviting one’s loved ones and his child’s friends, to
celebrate Allaah’s blessing and to encourage the child.
It is essential to beware of some beliefs which many people hold, and say that
in order to protect the new house or car it is essential to offer a sacrifice
and sprinkle it with the blood of the slaughtered animal, or that evil spirits
will not keep away from you unless you do that, otherwise the blessing will
soon dissipate. hese are jaahili beliefs which do not come from someone who
believes in Allaah as his Lord Who possesses all powers to bring benefit or
cause harm, in Whose hand is the creation and the commandment, and knows that
it is not permissible to do acts of worship unless they are done for the sake
of Allaah.
The scholars of the Standing Committee were asked about the belief held by many
people, that offering a sacrifice on the threshold of the new house before
entering it is one of the most important means of warding off the evil eye, and
making the house blessed, and avoiding calamities and undesirable events.
They replied:
If this custom – i.e., offering a sacrifice on the threshold of the new house –
is done in order to placate the jinn and ward off calamities and undesirable
events, then it is a haraam custom, and is in fact shirk. This is what seems to
be the case with offering the sacrifice before entering the house, and doing it
on the threshold in particular.
But if the intention is to honour one's new neighbours and get to know them,
and to give thanks to Allaah for the blessing of a new home, and to honour
one's relatives and friends on this occasion, and to show them the house, then
this is good and the one who does it is to be praised for his action. But that
is only usually done after the people have moved into the house, and not
before, and the animal or animals should not be slaughtered on the threshold of
the house or in the entryway to the house.
Section 5
Should
He Prostrate To Allaah In Gratitude For The Blessing Of Hearing And Sight?
The
prostration of gratitude is only prescribed for new blessings, such as having a
child, or the return of an absent loved one, or victory over an enemy, not for
an ongoing blessing such as the blessings of hearing and sight, because that is
not narrated in sharee’ah. If it were prescribed, it would mean that a person
would spend his whole life prostrating out of gratitude.
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-Majmoo’ (3/564):
al-Shaafa’i and his companions said: The prostration of gratitude is a Sunnah
when a new, obvious blessing comes and when an obvious adversity is warded off,
whether the blessing or adversity affects the individual or all the Muslims.
Our companions said: Similarly, if he sees a person who is afflicted with a
calamity, physical or otherwise, or with sin, it is mustahabb to prostrate out
of gratitude to Allaah. But it is not prescribed to prostrate for ongoing
blessings because they do not cease. End quote.
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-Mughni (1/363): It is
mustahabb to do the prostration of gratitude when a new blessing comes or adversity
is warded off. This is the view of al-Shaafa’i, Ishaaq, Abu Thawr and Ibn
al-Mundhir.
Ibn al-Mundhir narrated with his isnaad from Abu Bakrah that if news reached
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that pleased him, he
would fall down in prostration. Narrated by Abu Dawood. The wording is: If news
that pleased him reached him, or he was given glad tidings, he would fall down
in prostration, giving thanks to Allaah. And al-Tirmidhi said: This is a hasan
ghareeb hadeeth. Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq prostrated when al-Yamaamah was conquered,
and ‘Ali prostrated when he found Dhu’l-Thadiyyah among the slain Khawaarij,
and it was also narrated that a number of Sahaabah did this (offered the
prostration of gratitude). End quote.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in I’laam al-Muwaqqi’een
(2/296): Blessings are of two types: ongoing and new. The thanks for ongoing
blessings is given by doing acts of worship and obedience, and the prostration
of gratitude is prescribed for new blessings, out of gratitude to Allaah and to
express humility and submission before Him, in return for the joy and delight
felt because of the blessing. That is the best way to counter this feeling of
excessive rejoicing, because Allaah does not like those who rejoice
excessively, so the remedy for this disease is submission and humility before
the Lord of the Worlds. End quote.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-Sharh al-Mumti’
‘ala Zaad al-Mustaqni’ (4/105): The words “when a new blessing comes” refer to
new blessings as opposed to ongoing blessings. If we were to tell a man that it
is mustahabb to prostrate for ongoing blessings, he would always be
prostrating, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
وَءَاتَٮٰكُم مِّن ڪُلِّ مَا سَأَلۡتُمُوهُۚ
وَإِن تَعُدُّواْ نِعۡمَتَ ٱللَّهِ
لَا تُحۡصُوهَآۗ إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ لَظَلُومٌ۬ ڪَفَّارٌ۬ (٣٤)
“and if you count the Blessings of
Allaah, never will you be able to count them”.
Ongoing blessings are ones an individual generally experiences constantly and
are not newly or unexpectedly received. The ability to hear, see and speak
properly, and physical good health, are all blessings.
Breathing is another of these blessings, and so on. The Sunnah does not say that
we should prostrate for such blessings. But if we assume that a person was
faced with difficulty in breathing, then Allaah granted him relief from that,
and he prostrated in gratitude to Allaah, then he has done the right thing,
because being able to breathe properly after having difficulty with it is a new
blessing.
Another example is if a person passes an exam when he was scared that he would
not pass. This is a new blessing for which he should prostrate.
Another example is if a person hears that the Muslims have attained a victory
in any place. This is a new blessing for which he should prostrate to Allaah in
gratitude.
Another example is if a person is blessed with a child. This is a new blessing
for which he should prostrate. And you can draw more analogies.
The words “and when adversity is warded off” refer to adversities for which the
causes exist but one is spared.
An example of that is a man who has a car accident when he is travelling, and
the car turns over but he walks away unharmed. In this case he should do the
prostration of gratitude, because the cause of this adversity was present,
which is the car rolling over, but he was spared.
Another example is a person in whose house a fire begins, but Allaah makes it
easy to extinguish it. This is warding off of adversity so he should prostrate
to Allaah in gratitude.
Another example is a man who falls in a well and emerges safe and sound. This
is warding off of adversity so he should prostrate to Allaah in gratitude.
What is meant by that is the warding off of an adversity the cause of which was
present but he was spared it. As for those which are ongoing, they are
innumerable, and if we were to tell a man that it is mustahabb to prostrate for
ongoing blessings, he would always be prostrating. End quote.
To sum up: the prostration of gratitude is to be done when a new blessing
comes, not for ongoing blessings.
And
Allaah is the source of strength. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ)
and
his family and companions.
And
Allah knows best.
Source:
Islam
Q&A 259676
Source: Islam Q&A 125984
https://islamqa.info/en/answers/125984/how-to-thank-allah-for-his-blessings
Sheikh
Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid, Islam Q&A 21888
Al-Lajnah Al-Daa’imah Li’l-Buhooth Al-‘Ilmiyyah Wa’l-Iftaa’, 7/266 Islam
Q&A 5110
Islam Q&A 89705
Islam Q&A 96807
Holy Qur'an Chapter Surah Al-Baqara 2, Verse 79
Holy Qur'an Chapter Surah Al-Baqara 2, Verse 284
Source:
Al-Lajnah Al-Daa’imah Li’l-Buhooth Al-‘Ilmiyyah Wa’l-Iftaa’, 7/266
