Gratitude

“So which of the favours of your Lord would you deny?” [Surah Rahman, Ayah 38]

“Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart – about all those [one] will be questioned.” [Surah Isra, Ayah 36]

“And few of My servants are grateful.” [Surah Saba, Ayah 13]

We have become a nation that is forever complaining: we complain about everything from the way we look,

to the houses we live in, the families we have, the children we have been given, we complain about a life that others are making dua for!

Allah (swt) knows us very well, even better than we know ourselves which is why in multiple verses Allah (swt) refers to this disease of ours. Just in Surah Rahman alone he mentions 31 times the exact same verse – “Which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?”

That is why we have been told to always look at those below you. When you want to complain about the size of your house, remember the orphans in Syria and the Rohingyans that are freezing to death because they don’t have any shelter.

When you want to complain about the food on your plate, remember those people who are eating leftovers from bins because they don’t have any food.

When you want to complain about your family and children, remember those who in the blink of an eye have lost everyone.

And the truth of the matter is we know all of this and we have heard it again and again, but still we continue to be ungrateful. We need to learn to appreciate what we have been given by our most merciful Creator and if we do, then Allah (swt) will continue showering his blessings upon us. But if we do not Allah (swt) mentions in the Qur’an:

“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.’ ” [Surah Ibrahim, ayah 7]

Allah (swt) further mentions:

“If you count the bounties of Allah, you cannot count them all. Surely, Allah is Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful.” [Surah Nahl, ayah 18]

There are also many countless studies that prove practising gratitude does wonders for our mental and emotional health, especially with depression and anxiety. When we practice gratitude, we increase the levels of dopamine in our brains which causes us to be happier.

So, my dear sisters in Islam, let us become amongst the few of Allah (swt)’s chosen servants who are forever grateful to him for all that he has given us and will continue to shower upon us in the future.

Alhumdulillah! Alhumdulillah! Alhumdulillah!