By Sanober Yusra

2/5/2013

My Lord, I ask you to expand my chest, make my task easy, undo the knot in my tongue so that my speech will become comprehensible.(surrah taha)

Just as we sent among you a messenger from you who recites to you our signs, purifies you and teaches you the book and the wisdom and teaches you that which you did not know. (151) So remember me so I remember you and give thanks to me and do not disbelieve. (152) Al-Baqarah:151-152

 Allah is pleased with his slave who says:

al-hamdu lillah (praise be to Allah) when he takes a morsel of food and drinks a draught of water (Sahih Muslim)

He [Solomon] smiled, laughing at its words, and said, My Lord, keep me thankful for the blessing You have bestowed on me and on my parents, and keep me acting rightly, pleasing You, and admit me, by Your mercy, among Your servants who are righteous.' (Surat an-Naml; 19)

Gratitude is knowing that whatever we have is from Allah.

And if you would count the graces of Allah, never could

you be able to count them. (14:34) is from Allah. (al-Nahl 16:53)

And whatever of blessings and good things you have, it

So eat from what Allah has provided for you, lawful and

good, and be thankful for the blessing of Allah if it is Him you worship. (Surat an-Nahl; 114)

And say:All the praises and thanks be to Allah(17:111)

 And if Allah were to punish men for that which they

earned, He would not leave a moving (living) creature on the surface of the earth, but He gives them respite to an appointed term, and when their term comes, then verily, Allah is Ever All-Seer of His slaves. (Surah Al-Fatir 45)
Why should Allah punish you if you have thanked

(him) and have believed in Him. And Allah is Ever AllAppreciative (of good), All knowing (An-Nisa, Verse# 147)

Gratitude helps us to slow down and to enjoy what we have.

In one of the hadiths the Prophet ( )said:if the

son of Adam has one valley, he will wish that he had a second, and if he had two valleys, he would wish that he had a third. The stomach of the son of Adam will be filled only with dust (i.e., he is never satisfied)... (Reported by Ahmad,5/219; Saheeh al-jaami, 1781)

Abu Hurairah reported: On the Night of Al-Isra (the night of Ascension) the Prophet ( )was presented with two drinking vessels: one full of wine and the other one full of milk. He looked at them. Then he took the vessel which was full of milk. Thereupon Jibril said: Al;hamdu lillah (praise be to Allah) Who has guided you to that, which is in accord with Fitrah (i.e., pure nature of Islam). Had you selected wine, your people would have gone astray.

Gratitude helps us recognize other peoples favors to us.

Allah(swt) say show gratitude to Me and to your

Parents: to Me is (thy final) Goal. (Surah Al israa #24) He who does not thank people, does not thank Allah (Ahmad, Tirmidhi) narrated by Abu hurairah. Whoever does you a favor, then reciprocate, and if you cannot find anything with which to reciprocate, then pray for him until you think that you have reciprocated him..Abu Dawood. Whoever has a favor done for him and says to the one who did it, Jazak Allahu khayranhas done enough to thank him(Saheeh al-Tirmidhi) "The most grateful people to Allah Blessed and High are the most thankful of them to others." Ahmad

Narrated Mu'adh ibn Anas: The Prophet ( )said: If

anyone eats food and then says: "Praise be to Allah Who has fed me with this food and provided me with it through no might and power on my part," he will be forgiven his former and later sins. If anyone puts on a garment and says: "Praise be to Allah Who has clothed me with this and provided me with it through no might and power on my part," he will be forgiven his former and later sins.

Gratitude isnt about ignoring our problems or is not going to omit them, instead it teaches us Sabar.
Abu Musa Al-Ashari reported: The Messenger of Allah()

said, When a slaves child dies, Allah the Most High asks his angles, Have you taken out the life of the child of My slave? They replyin the affirmative. He then asks, Have you taken the fruit of his heart?They reply in the affirmative. Thereupon he asks, What has my slave said?They say: He has praised you and said: Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rajiun (We belong to Allah and to him we shall be returned). Allah says; Build a house for my slave in Jannah and name it as Bait-ul-Hamad (the House of Praise).

 It was narrated that Aaishah said: When the

Messenger of Allah (pbuh) prayed, he would stand for so long that his feet would become swollen. Aaishah said: O Messenger of Allah are you doing this when Allah has forgiven your past and future sins? He said: O Aaishah, should I not be a thankful slave? (AlBukhaari and Muslim)

And (recall) when your Lord proclaimed: If you thank, I shall certainly increase (My blessings on) you, and if you are ungrateful, then My torment is surely severe. (Al-Ibrahim 7)

 Abu Huraira reported: The Prophet ( ,)said,

None will enter Paradise but will be shown the place he would have occupied in the Hellfire if he had rejected faith, so that he may be more thankful; and none will enter the Hellfire but will be shown the place he would have occupied in Paradise if he had faith, so that may be a cause of sorrow for him.

Narrated Abu Said al Khudri When the people of Paradise say You (Allah) have given to us what You have not given to any 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 face, and admitted us to Paradise and saved us from Hell? Allah will say, I bestow My pleasure upon you, and I will never be angry with you after that (Bukhari and Muslim)

 He said, By Your misguidance of me, I will lie in

ambush for them on your straight path. Then I will come at them, from in front of them and behind them, from their right and from their left. You will not find most of them thankful.' (Surat al-A'raf; 16-17)

... Allah shows favor to mankind but most of them are

not thankful. (Surah Yunus; 60)

 Gratitudes importance was emphasized by the

Prophet ()when he took the hand of Muaadh ibn Jabal and said: O Muaadh, by Allah I love you. Then he said,I advise you, O muaadh, do not fail to say this after every prayer: O Allah help me to remember You, to thank you and to worship You properly.

(sahih Abu Dawad)
What better reward can we expect? So, why not be

grateful to him for what He has provided us day and night?