Gratitude: Can it really turn my life around?

By

Sadaf Azhar – Assistant Senior Editor Hiba Magazine

What is gratitude?

Gratitude is defined as a joyful appreciation for the blessings in our life- physical, emotional, or spiritual.  Blessings include material assets and the intangible joys of our life, such as health, family and friends, but the best of Allah’s (swt) blessings are faith and knowledge.

However, today we’re swarmed by distractions more than ever before. Someone is reminding us of a need we haven’t fulfilled, so we tend to want more, consume more and still remain discontented and unhappy.

We have lost the ability to be fully present in our own lives and to appreciate what we do have. It is only when we suffer a loss- material, physical or emotional – that we realize the value of that Khair (bounty) in our life.

Allah (swt) has given us the example of Ibrahim (as) in the Quran to emulate- he was always grateful, despite all the trials that Allah (swt) chose to test his Imaan with:

[He was] grateful for His favours. He [i.e., Allāh] chose him and guided him to a straight path. (An Nahl 16:121)

To whom should we be grateful?

As Muslims, we know that Allah (swt) is the Ultimate Source of all our blessings. Ar Razzaaq has provided for us even before we were born and will provide for us after we are dead and resurrected in the Hereafter.

Can you calculate your net worth in terms of the ability to breathe, blink and even think? Therefore, for all our tangible and intangible countable and uncountable blessings, we thank and praise Allah (swt).

Why should we be grateful?

Allah (swt) has promised us in the Holy Quran:

And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed: ‘If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favour]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.'” (Ibrahim 14:7)

Allah (swt) does not specify the ‘favour’ He promises us because they include favours in this world and the Hereafter, the tangible and intangible, what we understand and that which we cannot even perceive yet. Scholars have broadly defined these favours as:

• The Pleasure of Allah (swt): This is the motivation which drives us to try to do good and thank Allah (swt) for everything He blesses us or tries us with.

• Safety from the punishment of Allah (swt): Only when we know and fear Allah (swt) will we ensure that we use his blessings in a way that earns us Jannah and not Jahannum.

• Preservation of what we possess and grant what we lack: Gratitude is said to be a ‘keeper’ of Allah’s (swt) blessings so that we don’t suffer their loss, and a ‘bringer’ of those blessings we wish to have.

Gratitude keeps us content. The praise of Allah (swt) helps in acceptance of our Duas and ensures Allah (swt) fulfills our needs even before we realize them. Gratitude is the fortress which protects us from the effects of envy.

• Marital harmony: A peaceful marriage is the building block of a stable society. No marriage can endure without gratitude towards each other despite our personal flaws.

How can gratitude turn my life around?

1. Begin your day by thanking Allah (swt) for returning your soul to your body and praise Him for the renewed physical strength new opportunities and ideas.
2. Focus on the world around you in your daily routine- presence is essential to be able to realize what Allah (swt) has endowed you with. Resist the urge to sneak into your virtual world. Praying regularly is an opportunity to re-orient yourself towards thankfulness.
3. Every night, think deeply and journal 3 new things for which you are grateful.
4. Make the Sajdah Shukr a habit. You do not need to be in a state of Wudu for it because it is a single prostration. The Prophet (sa) habitually fell into Sajdah whenever an issue worrying him was resolved.
5. Train yourself to look for good in every situation. View your trials through the lens of a survivor, not a victim so that you become the optimistic Muslim who only expects good of Allah (swt).
6. Even in difficult situations thank Allah (swt) for the opportunity to cleanse your sins and the hidden (Khair) in His Divine Decree.
7. Avoid sins. Your Taqwa (Allah consciousness) should reflect in your actions.

What are the three pillars of gratitude?

Scholars defined gratitude as ‘the absence of sins’. Imam Ibn Qayyim explained the three pillars of Shukr:

1. The heart which submits to Allah (swt)
2. The tongue that testifies your thanks and praise. The most beloved words to Allah (swt) are Subhan Allah, Alhamdulillah and Allahu Akbar.
3. Limbs that comply with Allah’s (swt) laws and commands.

What preserves your blessings?

If we remember to be grateful for our blessings in good times, we will not become despondent and depressed when faced with losses and trials. Imam Jamaluddin Qasmi, a Syrian scholar, adds:

• Acknowledge that the ultimate Source of all the Khair in your life is Allah (swt). Verbally affirm your thankfulness so that others around you follow your example to be thankful.

• Never misuse your blessings. Gratitude is about what you do with what you’re given. Blessings are not meant to be mindlessly consumed. Instead, you are expected to ‘produce’ further good with it.  For instance, if you’re blessed with a healthy body, use it to pray and to serve others (fulfill the rights of Allah (swt) and His Creation).

• Share your blessings- start a ‘generosity cycle’. Like the circulation of wealth that keeps the economy working, all forms of our Zakah, Sadqah, timely payments we owe to others, keep our family, society and the Ummah flourishing. Spend the time, health, money and skills you are blessed with wisely and for the greater good.

• Empathize with those who are not equally blessed and never show off. Allah (swt) has chosen to bless you today, but He could decide tomorrow that others are more deserving of that blessing.

Consider the example of a Quran teacher in Cairo. He would sometimes walk to the Masjid to teach his students in the blazing heat and sometimes he would drive. His students asked him why he did not drive every day instead of walking in the scorching heat.

He replied: “When Allah (swt) blessed me with a car, I wanted to share this blessing with others so I made copies of the car keys and gave them to my neighbours so they could benefit from it too.” He would use the car when no one else needed it.

(Based on Shaykh Ali Hammuda’s Talk)