The Garden of Knowledge

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

 27 Jumaadul Ula 1446/29 November 2024

All praise is due to Allah, the Cherisher, Sustainer, Nourisher and Provider of the entire creation. May peace, blessings and salutations be upon our Beloved Prophet Muhammed ﷺ.

Alhamdulilah we are very fortunate that Allah has chosen to shower his blessings and mercy upon us.  Shukr (gratitude) is a core element of one’s faith and it consists of recognizing the blessings one receives. Verily the blessings and favors bestowed upon us by Almighty is beyond comprehension of the human mind.

Allah tells us in the Holy Quran in Nahl verse 18:

وَإِن تَعُدُّوا۟ نِعۡمَةَ ٱللَّهِ لَا تُحۡصُوهَاۤ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَغَفُور رَّحِیم

“And if you should count the favors of Allah, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.”

Without a doubt the greatest favor of Allah upon us is that of Imaan, and we have an amanah, a trust and responsibility to keep our Imaan in check and ensure we do not stray.

If we stop for a moment and take a look at our lives and surroundings we will realize that everything we have is blessing and favor from Allah. Our health, wealth, success and even our limbs are all blessings from Allah. Let us take a step further, many of us are fortunate to live in homes with electricity and running hot water, this is also amongst the blessings of Allah. And what is our duty which sadly we don’t do enough is show gratitude towards Allah!

Why is this so important? Because Allah is self-sufficient and we are not. We are dependent on Allah. Allah is not in need of anything or anyone however everything and everyone is in need of Allah for everything.

Allah makes mention in Surah Ibrahim verse 7:

وَإِذۡ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمۡ لَىِٕن شَكَرۡتُمۡ لَأَزِیدَنَّكُمۡۖ وَلَىِٕن كَفَرۡتُمۡ إِنَّ عَذَابِی لَشَدِیدࣱ

“And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.’ “

Here Allah is informing us on the importance of showing gratitude. If we are grateful and we thank Allah then verily Allah will increase us in favor and if we not grateful than the punishment of Allah is severe.

When we speak of shukr we should understand that shukr is not only to be shown to Allah however it is to be shown to all of creation as well. If someone assists us in anyway, we have a responsibility to show gratitude towards them, whether we like them or not.

Abu Huraira (R.A) narrated that Nabi ﷺ said:

‏  لاَ يَشْكُرُ اللَّهَ مَنْ لاَ يَشْكُرُ النَّاسَ ‏

“He who does not show gratitude towards people is not grateful to Allah” – Sunan Abi Dawud 4811

Throughout our life we will notice that Allah Almighty tests us with the blessings he has bestowed upon us. At times Allah may test us with our health, wealth or even with necessities such as water and electricity. The main thing for us is how we react and we respond to these tests, for verily Allah will not place something on us if we cannot handle it, as it is mentioned in the Surah Baqarah, verse 286:

لَا یُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفۡسًا إِلَّا وُسۡعَهَاۚ

“Allah does not place/charge a soul with anything except within one’s capacity.”

One may ask what is the ideal response? The ideal response is Shukr (gratitude) and Sabr (patience). Being thankful to Allah for all that we have been blessed with and at the same time maintaining patience is the ideal response. In sha Allah through the acts of Shukr and Sabr, Allah will alleviate whatever difficulties we face and increase us in blessings.

How does one express Shukr (gratitude) ? The classical Muslim scholars have indicated Shukr can be shown in three ways:

– Shukr of the heart (Qalb), which is achieved by harboring and intending good for all of Allah creation.

– Shukr of the tongue (Lisaan), which involves celebrating the praises of Allah, such as utterance of “Alhamdulillah”, and expressing gratefulness to Allah with our tongue.
– Shukr of the limbs (Jawaarih), which is fulfilled by using our external senses to do good. Every time Allah gives us a blessing, we must use it in a way that benefits humanity and that pleases Allah.

May Allah accept our efforts from us and grant us understanding In Sha Allah!