Thanking people is a way of thanking Allah

Thanking peop= le is a way of thanking Allah

BS Foad,M.D. 2008

As-Shukr or thanking Allah= and being grateful to Him is a noble character. It s= hows that we understand Allah’s numerous blessings and that we are grateful to Him. In contrast some people feel self-sufficient and fo= rget that what they enjoy of blessings actually comes from Allah. They become arrogant and may even transgress.

1- Our obligations to thank Allah

2- Allah appreciates our thanks, and if we are grateful increases hIs bl= essings

3- We should thank other people and be humble

4- Allah’s prophets set the example for being grateful and thankful

5- The benefits of being thankful

6- Example of the Prophet’s Dua’a

Our obligatio= ns in thanking Allah

We owe everything to Allah. He gave us our life and our faculties. We learn and evolve as the Qur’an describes:

It is He Who brought you forth from t= he wombs of your mothers when ye knew nothing; and He gave you hearing and sig= ht and intelligence and affection: that ye may give thanks (to Allah).

= ; An-Nahl 16 : 78

Without our faculties we cannot learn or advanc= e. Without our intellect we cannot think or reason:

(Allah) Most Gracious!

&n= bsp; Ar-Rahman 55 : 1

It is He Who has taught the Qur-an.<= o:p>

&n= bsp; Ar-Rahman 55 : 2

He has created man= :

&n= bsp; Ar-Rahman 55 : 3 He has taught him = speech (and Intelligence).

&n= bsp; Ar-Rahman 55 : 4

Allah provides for us and for every living creature :

How many are the creatures that carry not their own sustenance? = It is Allah Who feeds (both) them and you, for He h= ears and knows (all things).

&n= bsp; Al-Ankabut 29 : 60=

Everything that we have : our life and existence; our suste= nance; our faculties and our intellect all were provided by Allah. We owe every blessing to Him. Therefore, it is our duty and obligation to thank Him:

And ye have no good thing but is from Allah; and moreover, when ye a= re touched by distress, unto Him ye cry with groans;

&n= bsp; An-Nahl 16 : 53

Prophet Muhammad ( PBUH ) taught us how to thank Allah for His blessings:

( O Allah whatever I find myself enjoyi= ng in the morning of blessing, or whatever anyone else of Your servants is enjoying, it is from You alone. You have no partners. All praise and thanks belong to You )

Abou Dawood = & Nesa’ee

He also taught us to say after completing our prayers:

( O Allah help me remember You, and to thank You, and to worship You, a= nd to serve You in the best possible way )

Abou Dawood, Nesa’= ;ee & Ahmad after Moa’dh

Allah appreci= ates our thanks

Allah likes His servants to be grateful, and He apprec= iates our thanks and rewards us for our service. On the other hand, Allah does not like ingratitude from His servants:

If ye reject (Allah), truly Allah h= as no need of you; but He liketh not ingratitude from= His Servants: if ye are grateful, He is pleased with you. No bearer of burdens = can bear the burden of another. In the End, to your Lord is your Return, when He will tell you the truth of all that ye did (in this life). For He knoweth well all that is in (men's) hearts.

= ; Az-Zumar 39 : 7=

Allah promised to reward us for our effort and forgive our sins:

Those who rehearse= the Book of Allah, establish regular Prayer, and spend (in Charity) out of what= We have provided for them, secretly and openly, hope f= or a Commerce that will never fail:

&n= bsp; Fatir 35 : 29

For He will pay th= em their meed, nay, He will give them (even) more = out of His Bounty; for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Ready to appreciate (service).

&n= bsp; Fatir 35 : 30

If we are grateful to Allah, He will give us more<= /b>

If we are thankful and grateful, Allah promised= to give us more. But if we are ungrateful Allah’s punishment can be seve= re:

And remember! your Lord caused to be declared (publicly): "If y= e are grateful, I will add more (favours) unto you; b= ut if ye show ingratitude, truly My punishment is terrible indeed."

     &n= bsp;    Ibrahim 14 : 7

To thank p= eople is to thank Allah

= ;

Allah put kindness and love in our hearts towards each other. Therefore, we should appreciate the kindness and help of other people towards us. This proves that we are thankful to Allah.= Abou Horaira related that Allah’s messenger ( PBUH ) said:

( He , who does not thank or is ungratef= ul to people, has not thanked Allah and is ungrateful to Him )

Abou Dawood,= Termedhi & Ahmad

Abou Horaira= also related to us the Hadeeth of the Prophet ( PBUH ) about a man who was very thirsty. He saw a we= ll, went down and drank from it. Then he saw a dog panting and suffering from thirst. He felt sorry for him, and went down to the well and brought water = for the dog. Allah appreciated his service and forgave him = ) Bokhari & Muslim.

We learn from this Hadeeth :

·        We should feel for the suffering of others

·        We should help them in their times of need

·        Whatever we do, Allah is aware of it and He will reward us for our service

·        Thanking others is not lip service, it means going out of our way to help them<= /o:p>

Allah̵= 7;s prophets set the example of being grateful and thankful to Allah=

= ;

Prophet Muhammad ( PBUH ) is our example of a true grate= ful servant of Allah. He would stand in prayer at night thanking Allah and prai= sing Him and seeking His forgiveness. His wife Aesha= asked him why he prays so much knowing that Allah has forgiven his sins. He said:=

( Should I then not be a thankful grateful servant of Allah ? )

Bokhari & Muslim

Whenever Allah’s messenger ( PBUH ) heard good news= or was happy, he would prostrate to Allah thanking Him and showing his gratitu= de ( Abou Dawood & <= span class=3DSpellE>Ibn Majja ).

An example= of the Prophet’s Dua thanking Allah

Aesha related this D= ua’a after Allah’s prophet ( PBUH ) :

( O Allah I seek protection in Your pleasure from Your anger; and in Your forgiveness from Your punishment. And= I seek protection in You from You. I cannot thank You enough. You are as You praised Yourself )

Muslim.

Benefits o= f Shukr

1-    Being than= kful indicates that we understand Allah’s blessings and that we know that = we are indebted to Him

2-    If we are thankful to Allah, He will give us more

3-    Allah is p= leased with our thanks and appreciates our service

4-    When we th= ank others and appreciate their help, we are well-liked

5-    A person w= ho thanks others is not envious and wishes good for other people