Gratitude: A Key Part of Faith (Masjid Quba | 8/19/11)

(If above player does not work, click "Gratitude: A Key Part of Faith" for audio recording of khutbah) - [opens in a separate window]


31:12
وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا لُقْمَانَ الْحِكْمَةَ أَنِ اشْكُرْ لِلَّهِ وَمَن يَشْكُرْ فَإِنَّمَا يَشْكُرُ لِنَفْسِهِ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ حَمِيدٌ
"...and, indeed, we granted this wisdom unto Luq­man: “Be grateful unto God - for he who is grateful [unto Him] is but grateful for the good of his own self; whereas he who chooses to be ungrateful [ought to know that], verily, God is self-sufficient, ever to be praised!” -


2:152
فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُواْ لِي وَلاَ تَكْفُرُونِ
"Remember Me, I remember you; Be thankful and not ungrateful/don not deny me."


The Messenger of Allah (saws) is reported to have said:
من لم يشكر الناس لم يشكر الل
"Whosoever is not thankful to people is not thankful to Allah."
"He who does not express thankfulness to human beings is not (really) thankful to Allah (also)." Bukhari: Adab al-Mufrad, p. 34.


Scholars have noted that Îmân is in two halves: half is patience (sabr) and half is gratitude (shukr). Therefore Allâh has mentioned patience and gratitude alongside one another: “Verily in this are signs for all who constantly persevere and give thanks” (Ibrâhîm 14:5; Luqmân 31:31; Sabâ’ 34:19; ash-Shurâ 42:33)


Cicero, a Roman philosopher once said, Gratitude is not only the greatest of the virtues, but the parent of all of the others – Cicero (106–43BC). Why quote a non-Muslim in a khutbah? Because, if HE could get it right, we, the righteously guided Muslims, should be able to do so as well.


Part I:


Background for how this topic emerged:


My last khutbah was about, Iman, faith in Allah. I spoke of how amana (the root word for Iman) means security. I spoke about how when we say we have faith in Allah, it should mean to US that we are certain that what Allah says is what He (swt) means. We should not simply see it as belief, but we should see it as promises from the One who never breaks His promises.


Today, I want to build on that last khutbah, and touch on a key aspect of that faith or that sincere and certain belief in and reliance on Allah. I want to discuss the concept of gratitude. First of all, I know 45 minutes is not enough to touch on this topic, so I will begin here in the khutbah and then continue discussing at the Qur’an circle today and even work it into the Ta’lim on Sunday, which is on charity. We often think that happiness is what brings gratitude. However, we can argue that gratitude is what brings contentment and happiness. I will spend some time today discussing how gratitude is what brings happiness because gratitude is inextricably tied to our iman / our security and firm conviction in Allah.


Before I get into the topic, I want to first say “Alhamdulillah.” I know that I do not thank Allah enough. Allah has blessed me in many ways. I have my health, a job, a good family, a supportive community, people who keep me on track, opportunities, etc. All this is by the mercy of Him is whose hands is our life and death. We ALL have many things to be thankful for, for which we seldom give thanks. Some may be celebrating anniversaries this week or weekend, some may be celebrating birthdays, graduations, etc. Whatever it is, it is a mercy from Allah. Let us remember to give thanks. Subhanallah wa bihamdihi.


What is gratitude?
The renowned scholar, Ibn Qayyim al Jawziyyah, a student of Ibn Taymiyyah and a contemporary of Ibn Kathir and other scholars, authored a book book called, ‘Uddat as-Sâbirîn wa Dhâkhirat ash-Shâkirîn (The Equipment of the Patient and the Investment of the Grateful). Basically, the book is on Patience and Gratitude. In his book, he stated, “Îmân is in two halves: half is patience (sabr) and half is gratitude (shukr)”. If you recall, I stated last time that Iman entails the sincere conviction in Allah’s promises. Here, a venerated scholar is stating that our Iman consists of 2 main things, patience/forbearance/fortitude and gratitude/gratefulness. According to Ibn Qayyim al Jawziyyah, “Îmân is a term which covers words, deeds and intentions, all of which are based on one of two things, action or abstinence. Action refers to performing a deed in accordance with the instructions of Allâh, which is the reality of gratitude. Abstinence, as in refraining from wrong action, requires patience. The whole of religion is embodied in these two things: carrying out that which Allâh has commanded, and refraining from that which Allâh has prohibited.” So gratitude is to engage in deeds that Allah has commanded and enjoined on us, while using the tools and faculties He (swt) has given us, to engage in those deeds.


If we are honest, we will see that this world and this society calls us to the very opposite: It calls us to instant gratification and the idea that man - and man alone - is in charge of his destiny and his affairs. We have been taught that we are the authors of our own destiny and that God is just there. That other people are there primarily for our benefit. It beckons us to impatience (instant gratification) and ingratitude (the idea that we are not reliant on Allah - and whatever help He sends by the way of other people - for our existence). Therefore, if our iman consists of patience and gratitude and the world/society we live in calls us and teaches us impatience and ingratitude, how are we sustaining our faith? What food do we feed ourselves to make sure that our iman stays in tact by us being patient and grateful? Insha-Allah, this khutbah will give us some ideas on how to maintain our iman in the midst of the onslaught of the desire for instantaneous results and ingracious behavior.


Gratitude is to acknowledge the favors of Allah and to consistently praise Him. It involves believing in one’s heart that Allah has bestowed His favors upon you; glorifying Allah by praising Him and not shying away from relating His blessings upon you and using your limbs in worship to Allah, as a celebration of those blessings. Allah has already said that we will never be able to count His favors, so how do we shy away from showing more gratitude to Allah?
Are we thankful that Allah has allowed us to witness this Ramadhan? THIS in itself is a mercy... Allah has opened up the doors to His paradise for us. He has chained the powerful ones of the shayateen. We have already witnessed the first part dedicated to His mercy. We are witnessing the second part dedicated to His maghfirah (forgiveness). We are about to enter the third part that is deidicated to Him freeing us from the hellfire. This is not for HIS benefit, it is for our benefit. THIS month alone and being able to witness it, is a mercy. Are we showing Allah gratitude for allowing us to witness it? Are we praising Him more? Are we worshipping more? Have we significantly increased our ibadaat and our good deeds as a sign of gratitude for this mercy? We need to remember that we receive more good than we deserve and we are not given the amount of punishment that we deserve.


Gratitude is therefore half of iman according to some scholars and is therefore an integral part of faith. To understand why gratitude is so important to our faith, we need to understand its direct linkage to iman.


Gratitude is linked to Iman:

• يـأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ كُلُواْ مِن طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَـكُمْ وَاشْكُرُواْ للَّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ
• O you who believe! Eat of the good things that We have provided for you, and be grateful to Allah, if it is [truly] Him you worship. (Al-Baqara - 2:172)
• (Tafsir al-Jalalayn - O you who believe, eat of the good things, that are lawful, wherewith We have provided you, and give thanks to God, for what He has made lawful for you, if it be Him that you worship.)

• Allah also contrasts gratitude with shirk/idolatry:
• وَلَقَدْ أُوْحِىَ إِلَيْكَ وَإِلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكَ لَئِنْ أَشْرَكْتَ لَيَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُكَ وَلَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَـسِرِينَ - بَلِ اللَّهَ فَاعْبُدْ وَكُن مِّنَ الشَّـكِرِينَ
• But it has already been revealed to you,- as it was to those before you,- "If you were to join (gods with Allah), truly fruitless will be your work (in life), and you will surely be in the ranks of those who lose (all spiritual good)". Nay, but worship Allah, and be of those who give thanks. (Az-Zumar - 39: 65-66)
• Tafsir - It is summarized as do not associate others with God.In contrast to committing shirk, what should you do? Worship Allah AND be of those who are grateful

• فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُواْ لِي وَلاَ تَكْفُرُونِ
• “Remember Me, I remember you; Be thankful and not ungrateful/do not deny me."
• Tafsir Al-Jalalayn: (Therefore remember Me) through the performance of acts of obedience, (I will remember you) by granting you Paradise; and it is also said that this means: remember Me in time of ease, I will remember you in times of hardship. (Give thanks to Me) for the blessings I bestowed upon you, (and reject not Me) do not stop giving thanks for these blessings.
• Tafsir of Ibn-Kathir: (Therefore remember Me (by praying, glorifying). I will remember you, and be grateful to Me (for My countless favors on you) and never be ungrateful to Me.)

The word used here is a form of the ka-fa-ra (think of the term kafir). ka-fa-ra means to cover up/hide, reject, disbelieve. Any one of these gives the same meaning. Do not deny me by being ungrateful. Do not cover up my favors by being ungrateful. Do not deny my favors.

• مَّا يَفْعَلُ اللّهُ بِعَذَابِكُمْ إِن شَكَرْتُمْ وَآمَنتُمْ وَكَانَ اللّهُ شَاكِرًا عَلِيمًا
• Why would God cause you to suffer [for your past sins] if you are grateful and attain to belief - seeing that God is always responsive to gratitude, all-knowing? (An-Nisa - 4:147)
• Belief and gratitude are joined in this same verse.
• Ibn-Kathir: Why should Allah punish you if you have thanked (Him) and have believed in Him. And Allah is Ever All-Appreciative (of good), All-Knowing.

Taqwa is a pre-requisite for gratitude and gratitude build taqwa and iman:
After the battle of Badr, Allah revealed 3:123: “And Allah has already made you victorious at badr, when you were a weak little force. So fear Allah much that you may be grateful”
This was a reminder to the Muslims that any success or victory is from Allah and Allah alone. They shouldn’t be arrogant and forget the source of their success. Sometimes when you’re super productive and you achieve a great deal in a day, it’s easy to assume that your success comes from your skills or knowledge, but that’s not how a Muslim thinks. A Muslim firmly believes in the verse that “my success (in my task) can only come from Allah…” (Surat Hud, Verse 88)


Al-Jalalayn: (Allah had already given you the victory at Badr) on the day of the Battle of Badr, (when ye were contemptible) few in number: 313 men. (So observe your duty to Allah) fear Allah regarding the matter of war and do not disobey the leader who is in charge of you (in order that ye may be thankful) in order that you are thankful for his help and blessing.




Commanded to have gratitude:

• Gratitude is not optional, even though we treat it as optional We something think that if we show gratitude, then it is like we are doing the person a favor. No, being grateful is a favor on our souls, not on anyone else’s. Someone does something that upsets you, and then they follow it up with a good deed (as they have been advised) and yet still you withhold gratitude as though that is a favor on them. Husband and wife upset. Husband storms out. Wife is more upset. Husband comes back and brings gift. Wife is still upset and does not say thanks. This is not good. Husband comes home late. Tired and hungry. Food is not ready. Gets into argument. Wife then brings food. Husband does not say thanks. This is not Islam.

• The Holy Qur'an contains the command, originally given by God to the Holy Prophet Moses (Peace be on him) but meant to be obeyed by every Muslim:
• "....and be of those who are thankful." The Holy Qur'an Al-Araf 7:144

• Speaking directly to its addressees, the holy book has commanded:
• فَكُلُواْ مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ اللَّهُ حَلَـلاً طَيِّباً وَاشْكُرُواْ نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ إِن كُنْتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ
• ".....and be thankful for the favours of Allah, if it is He Whom ye serve." (An-Nahl 16:114)
• Ibn-Kathir: (114. So eat of the lawful and good food which Allah has provided for you. And be grateful for Allah's favor, if it is He Whom you worship.)

• وَوَصَّيْنَا الْإِنسَانَ بِوَالِدَيْهِ حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُ وَهْنًا عَلَى وَهْنٍ وَفِصَالُهُ فِي عَامَيْنِ أَنِ اشْكُرْ لِي وَلِوَالِدَيْكَ إِلَيَّ الْمَصِيرُ
• 31:14 “And [God says:] ‘We have enjoined upon man goodness towards his parents: his mother bore him by bearing strain upon strain, and his utter dependence on her lasted two years: [hence, O man,] be grateful towards Me and towards thy parents, [and remember that] with Me is all journeys’ end.
• Al-Jalalayn: And We have enjoined man concerning his parents, We commanded him to be dutiful towards them — his mother bears him, and weakens, in weakness after weakness, that is to say, she is weakened by the pregnancy, the pains of labour and the delivery; and his weaning is in two years, and We said to him [to man]: ‘Give thanks to Me and to your parents. To Me is the journey’s end, the return.

Expressing gratitude is NOT optional. We are ordered to express gratitude. Allah commands us to show gratitude to him and to others We are commanded to engage in gratitude when. In the Qur’an Circle tonight, I will show a video about this very thing. How many of us show the gratitude that is due to our mothers? As long as you are here, it means that someone labored to have you. 


Benefits of Gratitude:

• Guidance - We will be able to see and understand the signs of Allah
• 14:5
• إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لآيَاتٍ لِّكُلِّ صَبَّارٍ شَكُورٍ
• Verily in that (this message) are signs/ayaat certainly for those who are patient and show thanks

• More rewards:
• 14:7
• If you are grateful, I will surely give you more and more...
• We have all heard of the self-fulfilling prophecy. If you are positive, positivity generally follows you. Positive attitude bring positive outcomes. Gratitude and abindance bring MORE gratitude and abundance.
• We do not have to look to Positive Psychology - a branch of psychology that focuses on how things go right, instead of how they go wrong, to help individuals lead more fulfilling lives - to understand the above statement. In a hadith Qudsi, it is narrated that Allah said, “I am as my servants think I am/expect me to be”...
• Ibn Abi'd-Dunya (a contemporary of Bukhari and Muslim) reported that Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, said to a man from the tribe of Hamazan, "Allah's generosity is connected to gratitude, and gratitude is linked to increase in His generosity. The generosity of Allah will not stop increasing unless the gratitude of His servant ceases."

• Forgiveness
• The Prophet (saws) said: that whoever recites the following: سُبْحَانَ اللّهِ وَ بِحَمْدِهِ - SubhanAllah wa biHamdihi (Glory be to Allah and Praise Him) 100 times during the day, his sins will be forgiven even if they were as the foam on the sea. Sahih al-Bukhari; #7:168, Sahih Muslim; #4:2071.

• Contentment
• (Al-Araf - 7:69) Why, do you deem it strange that a tiding from your Sustainer should have come unto you through a man from among yourselves, so that he might warn you? Do but remember how He made you heirs to Noah's people, and endowed you abundantly with power:[51] remember, then, God's blessings, so that you might attain to a happy state!"
• Ibn Abbas - "Do you wonder that there has come to you a Reminder (and an advice) from your Lord through a man from among you to warn you And remember that He made you successors (generations after generations) after the people of Nuh and increased you amply in stature. So remember the graces (bestowed upon you) from Allah so that you may be successful.''

What should we be thankful for?

• Everything
• Quran - If we simply look at one chapter in the Qur’an that asks us over and over, which of Allah’s favors would we deny, we see that we have a LOT to be grateful for
• Look around society
• Think of Somalia, Horn of African, Palestine, Philadelphia, Camden... Anywhere in the world you see suffering upon suffering.
• A sister in Georgia created a FB group titled, “Today I am grateful for...” Subhanallah, this is definitely one of the best groups I am part of, because it is helping me fulfill a major part of my deen. May Allah reward her for this reminder and give her the blessing of each person who is reminded and then in turn reminds someone else. This is the type of “sunnah” or practice you want to develop. Something that will last well beyond your time. People are thankful for: The Qur’an, Being able to visit their parents, being able to eat with their spouses, being able to think... A HOST of things... Subhanallah...
• Allah has already said we will never be able to count His favors
• وَآتَاكُم مِّن كُلِّ مَا سَأَلْتُمُوهُ وَإِن تَعُدُّواْ نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ لاَ تُحْصُوهَا إِنَّ الإنْسَانَ لَظَلُومٌ كَفَّارٌ
• And [always] does He give you something out of what you may be asking of Him; and should you try to count God's blessings, you could never compute them. [And yet,] behold, man is indeed most persistent in wrongdoing, stubbornly ingrate!
• Ibn Kathir - And He gave you of all that you asked for, and if you ﴿try to﴾ count the blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count them. Verily, man is indeed an extreme wrongdoer, ungrateful.)
• Ibn Abbas - (And He giveth you of all ye ask of Him) as well as that which you do not know even how to ask for, (and if ye would count the bounty of Allah) the blessings of Allah (ye cannot reckon it) you would not be able to remember them or give thanks for them. (Lo! Man) i.e. the disbeliever (is verily a wrong-doer) he associates others with Allah, (an ingrate) He disbelieves in Allah and in His blessings.

What is Ingratitude:


Kufr (disbelief) - My grandmother always used to say that ungratefulness is worse that witchcraft. And based on what I have learned in Islam, she is right. Ungratefulness is likened to kufr or disbelief.


فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُواْ لِي وَلاَ تَكْفُرُونِ
"Remember Me, I remember you; Be thankful and not ungrateful." (2:152)


إِنَّا خَلَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍ نَّبْتَلِيهِ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ سَمِيعًا بَصِيرًا
إِنَّا هَدَيْنَاهُ السَّبِيلَ إِمَّا شَاكِرًا وَإِمَّا كَفُورًا
We created the human being from a drop of mingled sperm, in order to test him: We gave him the faculties of hearing and sight and provided him wit guidance; whether he be grateful or ungrateful (depends on him). (76: 2-3)


Allaah hates a Kanood, or an ungrateful person, and punishes him. Imaam Al-Hasan said: “A Kanood, is one who remembers the disasters which befall him and always forgets to mention the favors from Allaah (upon him).” This quality is more apparent in women; for example, a woman's husband is kind to her for many years, but as soon as she experiences a minor shortcoming from him, she will immediately tell him that she has never seen anything good from him. This is a form of oppressing the husband, and thus the majority of the dwellers of Hell are women, the reason being that they are ungrateful to their husbands. If being ungrateful to one's husband results in punishment in Hell, how will the case be for those who are ungrateful to Allaah?


Causes and Signs of Ingratitude:

• Excessive pride

Shaytan - Allah says that he refused to bow down due to his pride

• Constant whining and complaining to people - Discontentment
• Excessive sighing and eye-rolling - all chip away at our iman in various ways... How? When we are complaining, we are not being thankful to Allah. The more we complain, the less thankful we are being.
• Depression
• We forget Allah’s blessings and what we have
• We focus on what we do not have
• This weakens our Iman, although we think we are getting strong because we
• Not thankful will a little
• The Prophet (saws) is reported to have said:
• من لم يشكر القليل لم يشكر الكثير
• "Whosoever is not thankful with a little won't be thankful with a lot."

Do these things describe us? Do they make us tremble with fear out of concern that we are not thankful enough to Allah (swt) for His mercies and blessings? If we are not trembling in fear, we need to stop and re-evaluate our hearts and beg Allah to soften our hearts.


What awaits those who are ungrateful?:

• Hell: Allah will throw ingrates into hell
• أَلْقِيَا فِي جَهَنَّمَ كُلَّ كَفَّارٍ عَنِيدٍ
• [Whereupon God will command:] “Cast, cast into hell every [such] stubborn enemy of the truth, (50:24)
• (Allah will say to the angels:) "Both of you throw into Hell every stubborn disbeliever'')
• A firm partnership with Shaytan: Shaytan beckons us to ingratitude and to hell (Al-’Araf - 7:16-18)
• After the creation of Adam, Allah told Iblis to postrate and he refused. He refused because he was proud. But he was also an ingrate. Remember, he (Ar-Rajeem) was one of the favored among the jinn. He had a position of esteem. To show how keen he was in knowing how Allah is and what would displease Allah the most, what did shaytan say he would do?
• قَالَ فَبِمَا أَغْوَيْتَنِي لأَقْعُدَنَّ لَهُمْ صِرَاطَكَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ
• [Whereupon Iblis] said: "Now that Thou hast thwarted me,"shall most certainly lie in ambush for them all along Thy straight way,
• ثُمَّ لآتِيَنَّهُم مِّن بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ وَعَنْ أَيْمَانِهِمْ وَعَن شَمَآئِلِهِمْ وَلاَ تَجِدُ أَكْثَرَهُمْ شَاكِرِينَ
• and shall most certainly fall upon them openly as well as in a manner beyond their ken, and from their right and from their left: and most of them Thou wilt find ungrateful."
• قَالَ اخْرُجْ مِنْهَا مَذْؤُومًا مَّدْحُورًا لَّمَن تَبِعَكَ مِنْهُمْ لأَمْلأنَّ جَهَنَّمَ مِنكُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ
• [And God] said: "Go forth from here, disgraced and disowned! [And] as for such of them as follow thee - I will most certainly fill hell with you all!
• More ingratitude
• "He who does not express thankfulness to human beings is not (really) thankful to Allah (also). Bukhari: Adab al-Mufrad, p. 34.

The sad reality is that most of us are ungrateful. What is the proof of that? Allah says in the Qur’an: وَقَلِيلٌ مِّنْ عِبَادِيَ الشَّكُورُ …”Few are the truly grateful among My servants”... 34:13


Pushing this is step further, how many of us are grateful for Allah’s provisions? How many of us step outside of ourselves when we received Allah’s mercy? I will give you a scenario - you and a brother or sister have an argument. You all have not spoken for years. Then you are in a little difficulty and that brother or sister is available to assist you... Do you, out of pride not accept the help that you have prayed for, or does that remind you to be humble and accept that Allah is the one who provides? We see this with our families. As a husband, sometimes I am upset and she may offer me something, and out of pride I reject it. then, what happens, I end up going to bed hungry. Simple example, but it is still a sign of ingratitude. Or, even simpler. You are NOT in difficulty. Someone offers you a gift. It is not that you could not have gotten the thing yourself, but this is something that Allah sends your way. It is halal and it is good. Do you accept it and begrudgingly thank the person or do you genuinely thank them and reflect on Allah’s mercy towards us? Allah’s asks rhetorically throughout a WHOLE surah, which of His favors will you deny?


Remember, we receive more good than we deserve and we are not given the amount of punishment that we deserve. Let us ask Allah to soften our hearts, increase us in gratitude and forgive us our sins.


Part II


Without gratitude, we cannot have Islam, because without gratitude, we cannot maintain our faith. Gratitude is something that Allah has coupled over and over again in the Qur’an with a fundamental belief in Him. We are all seeking contentment. We cannot have contentment without gratitude. This is a fact. No one who is ungrateful is content. Anyone who is chronically discontent is ungrateful. What are some action steps we can take to show more gratitude. We have to remember that happiness is not a prerequisite for gratitude, but gratitude is a prerequisite for true happiness, because it is tied to our belief in Allah.


Action Plan:

• Du’a
• Make SINCERE du’a that Allah softens your heart to Him and to others so that you can be more grateful: My Lord! Stir me up that I may be grateful for the favour wherewith Thou hast favoured me and my parents, and that I may do good deeds which will please Thee. And be gracious unto me in mine offspring. Behold! I turn unto Thee repentant, and behold, I am of the Muslims. (Al-Ahqaf - 46:15)
• اللهم اِنِّي أسألك ... قلبًا شاكِرًا
• "O Allah! I ask Thee... for a grateful heart."
• Prophet told Mu’adh to say at the end of every salah, “O Allah, help me to remember You and give thanks to You and worship you well” (Ahmad, At-Tirmidhi)
• Pray
• As in the hadith narrated by Aisha (RA)
• A’ishah said that the Prophet of God (pbuh) used to pray during the night until his feet would swell. She said, ‘Why do you do this, O Messenger of God, while God has forgiven your past and future sins?’ The Prophet (pbuh) replied: "Shall I not be a grateful slave (of God)?" (Bukhari #4557)
• Remind yourself to be grateful
• Remember the sister from GA. She found a way to remind herself and others. Start a practice in your family. A little message board in the house/apartment: “The Gratitude Board”...
• Reconnect with the Qur’an
• Allah has reminders upon reminders in there for us to be grateful... Reconnect with the Qur’an... This is the month for the Qur’an.
• Cultivating gratitude
• Recognize the blessing - This must be an inward and sincere recognition
• Thank Allah for ALL blessings, even the small ones: Abu’d-Dunyâ narrated the hadîth of Abû ‘Abdi’r-Rahmân as-Silmî from ash-Sha‘bî, from an-Nu‘man ibn Bashîr, who said: “The Mes­senger of Allâh (SAAS) said: ‘Speaking of Allâh’s blessing is gratitude and ignoring it is ingratitude (kufr). The one who does not give thanks for a small blessing will not give thanks for a great blessing, and the one who does not give thanks to people will not give thanks to Allâh. To be with a group is a blessing, and to be alone is a punishment.’” (Patience and Gratitude - Al-Jawziyyah)
• Speak about the blessing as a reminder to others and to self (not showing off, but do not hide the blessing)
• Imraan ibn Husayn came our wearing a fine garment. His friends were looking at him the way we look at people when they are dressed nicely. He said, “The Prophet said, ‘Allah loves to see the effect of His bounties on His slaves’.
• Use it as a means to worship Allah
• Abu Bakr received the news that Musaylamah the liar (who claimed to be a Prophet after the death of Prophet Muhammad ) was killed, he went down into prostration.
• Ka’b ibn Maalik also prostrated when he was given the good news of forgiveness from Allaah after he failed to participate in a battle.
• Give charity
• Look at those less fortunate
• Abu Hurairah (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAAS) said: “If any of you would like to see the great blessing of Allâh on him, then let him look at those who are less fortunate than him, not those who appear better off than him.”

Alhamdulillah, we are about to hit the last 10 days of Ramadhan. Allah has chained the powerful of the shayateen. He has allowed us to experience the first ⅓ of the month of his Rahmah (mercy), the second ⅓ of His maghfirah (forgiveness) and Insha-Allah, we will experience the final ⅓ which is freedom from hell. Let us increase our gratitude in these 10 days by increasing our worship, increasing our remembrance and increasing our charity. Ameen.