The Power of Thanking ALLAH: Importance of Gratitude in Islam - Mufti Menk

Summary

The speaker emphasizes the importance of gratitude in one's faith and daily life. By being thankful to Allah and fulfilling religious obligations, individuals can seek increase and blessings in all aspects, including health, wealth, and spirituality. The speaker highlights the equation from the Quran: showing gratitude leads to increase, while ingratitude results in severe consequences. Practical ways to show gratitude include performing daily prayers, obeying Allah's commands, and staying patient during trials. Gratitude not only attracts more blessings but also brings contentment and peace, even in challenging situations.

Takeaways

• 😀 Everyone desires the increase of goodness in their lives, whether it’s in their job, business, health, or possessions.
• 🙏 Faith in Allah should be approached with the same desire for improvement as other aspects of life.
• 📈 Showing gratitude to Allah leads to increase in blessings, both materially and spiritually.
• 💡 Gratitude to Allah starts with fulfilling obligatory acts like the five daily prayers.
• 🕋 Voluntary prayers and other acts of worship are ways to show gratitude and seek closeness to Allah.
• 🤲 Gratitude involves both fulfilling Allah's commands and abstaining from prohibitions.
• 🗣️ Expressing gratitude through words should be accompanied by sincere actions.
• 🔄 Continuous remembrance of Allah and recitation of the Quran are crucial parts of showing gratitude.
• 🌟 Patience and gratitude are key to being a complete believer, especially during times of difficulty.
• 💖 True contentment comes from being grateful to Allah and trusting His plans, even in challenging situations.

Q & A

What is the main message of the script?

The main message is that one should continuously strive to improve in all aspects of life, including faith in Allah, and show gratitude for the blessings received to achieve further increase and contentment.

How should one approach their faith in Allah according to the script?

One should seek to improve their faith in Allah just as they seek improvement in other areas of life, by fulfilling daily prayers and looking for ways to enhance their devotion and worship.

What is the equation mentioned in the Quran for achieving increase in blessings?

The equation is that if you show gratitude to Allah, He will grant you increase, and if you are ungrateful, His punishment is severe.

What are the primary methods of showing gratitude to Allah?

The primary methods include fulfilling obligations to Allah, such as performing the five daily prayers, and abstaining from prohibited actions. Additionally, seeking forgiveness whenever one falters is also a form of showing gratitude.

How does fulfilling the five daily prayers relate to showing gratitude?

Fulfilling the five daily prayers is a significant way of showing gratitude to Allah because it involves obeying His commands, which is more valuable than verbal expressions of thanks.

Why is it important to be grateful to Allah for the blessings received?

It is important because showing gratitude to Allah leads to an increase in blessings and contentment in life, both materially and spiritually.

What should one do when facing difficulties according to the script?

One should bear patience and be grateful, recognizing that it could have been worse and trusting in Allah's wisdom and plan.

How can one show gratitude through their actions?

One can show gratitude through actions by fulfilling their religious obligations, abstaining from prohibited actions, seeking forgiveness for mistakes, and engaging in continuous remembrance of Allah.

What is the significance of patience and gratitude being mentioned together in the Hadith and Quran?

Patience and gratitude are mentioned together because they complement each other and help a believer achieve true contentment and a complete faith.

How does gratitude affect a person's contentment and quality of life?

Gratitude brings contentment of the heart, allowing a person to lead a better quality of life regardless of material wealth, as they are satisfied with what Allah has bestowed upon them.

Outlines

00:00

🙏 The Importance of Gratitude in Faith

This paragraph emphasizes the universal desire for improvement in various aspects of life, such as job promotions, business growth, and better health. It then draws a parallel to faith, suggesting that one should also seek to improve their relationship with Allah. The concept of gratitude is highlighted as a means to achieve increase, citing a Quranic equation that promises rewards for those who are thankful and warns of severe punishment for ingratitude. The paragraph concludes by illustrating the magnanimity of Allah's blessings compared to human generosity.

05:01

🤝 Gratitude Through Action and Worship

This paragraph explains that true gratitude to Allah is demonstrated through fulfilling religious obligations and staying away from prohibitions. It contrasts mere verbal thanks with actionable obedience to Allah's commands, likening it to showing appreciation to a benefactor by following their simple requests. The text stresses the importance of daily prayers, proper conduct, and seeking forgiveness as primary methods of showing gratitude. It also highlights that continuous remembrance of Allah and engaging in additional acts of worship enhance one's faith and contentment.

10:01

💪 Patience and Gratitude Amid Trials

This paragraph discusses the necessity of patience and gratitude when facing life's challenges. It emphasizes that praising Allah and remaining content under all circumstances brings inner peace. The Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) example of praising Allah in every situation is presented as a model for believers. The text underscores that even during difficult times, such as sickness or loss, maintaining gratitude and patience leads to spiritual growth and resilience. The paragraph concludes with a call to consistently fulfill religious duties and seek forgiveness to unlock divine blessings and contentment.

Keywords

💡Gratitude

Gratitude refers to the feeling of thankfulness and appreciation. In the video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of showing gratitude to Allah for all blessings received. This is highlighted through the concept that expressing gratitude can lead to an increase in goodness and blessings in one's life, both materially and spiritually.

💡Faith

Faith, in this context, pertains to belief in Allah and adherence to Islamic principles. The video stresses that just as people seek improvement in worldly matters like jobs or health, they should also strive to enhance their faith. This includes fulfilling daily prayers and other religious obligations.

💡Obligations

Obligations are duties or actions that are required by religious teachings. The speaker discusses the importance of fulfilling obligations to show gratitude to Allah. For example, performing the five daily prayers and fasting during Ramadan are key obligations that demonstrate faith and gratitude.

💡Patience

Patience is the ability to endure difficult situations without complaint. The video pairs patience with gratitude, explaining that a true believer must exhibit both, especially during trials and hardships. Patience helps believers remain content and maintain their faith even in challenging times.

💡Increase

Increase refers to the growth or augmentation of blessings and goodness in one's life. The speaker asserts that showing gratitude to Allah can lead to an increase in various aspects of life, such as health, wealth, and spiritual fulfillment. This concept is tied to the Quranic promise that gratitude leads to more blessings.

💡Contentment

Contentment is a state of happiness and satisfaction with what one has. The video suggests that true contentment comes from a strong connection with Allah. When believers are grateful and patient, they achieve a sense of peace and satisfaction, regardless of their material circumstances.

💡Voluntary Prayer

Voluntary prayer refers to additional prayers that Muslims can perform beyond the obligatory five daily prayers. The speaker encourages engaging in voluntary prayers as a way to deepen one's faith and show greater gratitude to Allah, thereby enhancing one's spiritual state.

💡Forgiveness

Forgiveness in the video is about seeking pardon from Allah for one's sins and mistakes. The speaker highlights that seeking forgiveness is a form of showing gratitude because it acknowledges human fallibility and the mercy of Allah. It is a crucial step in maintaining a sincere and humble relationship with Allah.

💡Prohibitions

Prohibitions are actions or behaviors that are forbidden in Islam. The video mentions the importance of abstaining from prohibited actions as a way to show gratitude to Allah. By avoiding these, believers demonstrate their commitment to Allah's commands and their desire to live righteously.

💡Dua

Dua is a form of prayer or supplication where believers ask Allah for help, guidance, or blessings. The speaker notes that expressing gratitude through dua, such as thanking Allah for His blessings, is a way to seek further increase and divine favor. Dua is an essential part of a Muslim's spiritual practice.

Highlights

When we have goodness, we all want that goodness to increase.

In your faith in Allah, you should have the same feeling of wanting to improve as you do with other aspects of life.

You start taking your time with prayers and engage in voluntary prayers to improve.

The equation of gratitude in the Quran: If you are grateful, Allah will grant you increase; if you are ungrateful, His punishment is severe.

Showing gratitude to Allah brings increase in both material and spiritual blessings.

Expressing gratitude can lead to more blessings, similar to how expressing thanks to a generous person can result in more generosity.

Allah owns everything, and by showing gratitude, we can achieve great benefits.

Primary method of showing gratitude to Allah is fulfilling your obligations unto Him.

Fulfilling the five daily prayers is far more valuable than just saying 'thank you' to Allah.

Staying away from prohibitions and seeking forgiveness are also ways of showing gratitude to Allah.

Reciting the Quran and engaging in continuous remembrance of Allah are acts of gratitude.

Contentment of the heart is a major gift from Allah, linked to our connection with Him.

Patience and gratitude are key to being a complete believer and achieving true contentment.

Praising Allah in all conditions, even during hardships, helps maintain peace and contentment.

When you leave things in Allah's hands and do your best, He will open doors for you and lead you to good things.

Transcripts

my brothers my sisters when we have

goodness we all want that goodness to

increase nobody wants it to diminish or

deplete so for example if you have a job

you want to promotion if you have a

business you'd like more business you'd

like a greater profit if you have good

health you want Even Better Health if

you have something you want something

better you have a car you're you're

eyeing out the next model you have for

example a phone you're looking at what

has come out next and everyone wants to

see increase did you know that when it

comes to your faith in Allah you should

have the same feeling I am close to

Allah today I feel that I am fulfilling

my five daily prayers if we're not we're

supposed to be on that by minimum but if

we are fulfilling the five did you know

that you're supposed to be looking in

ways of improving that just like how you

would be looking at ways of improving

other gifts of Allah upon you in fact

more importantly so you start taking

your time when it comes to the prayers

you perhaps might want to engage in

voluntary prayer that you may not have

done in the past in a better way why is

this necessary it is needed and

necessary because there is one equation

that Allah has reiterated in the Quran

that we cannot do without knowing listen

to it

if you are going to be grateful and show

gratitude and give thanks we will grant

you increase and if you are going to be

ungrateful our punishment is severe that

is an equation showing you how you can

achieve increase in everything you have

materially as well as that connected to

this worldly life and that which is

connected to the Hereafter or the dean

your religion your faith so if I want

that increase I need to show gratitude

just picture for a while yourself in

need of something say for example 100 R

and there is a multi-millionaire right

next to you for example in the Masjid

and you look at him and you say you know

what I just need a 100 and he takes out

a th000 and gives it to you what are you

going to say we will

say thank you very much may Allah bless

you grant you goodness may Allah elevate

your status may Allah give you more in a

suddenly these duas that were never

existing in our vocab have now come out

for someone who just gave you 10 times

more than what you asked for and you

know for him it was just a pinch not

even a pinch in his pocket it was just

loose change Subhan Allah do you realize

that Allah owns everything Way Beyond

that man and Allah owns everything that

man owns Allah actually owns it his the

man's ownership is secondary Allah's is

the primary and did you realize that by

you saying thank you it will really help

me it's going to go a very long way in

assisting me and really you don't

understand what you've done for me you

know what the man would probably take

out another 10,000 say just keep this as

well because he was so excited about the

words you used to praise him to make Dua

for him Etc why don't we understand

Allah says do you know that the same

should be happening or more when it

comes to the favors I've bestowed upon

you and what you want from me and the

increase of that when you are searching

for it you've got to do the same thing

or even more but Allah says also that

man is weak even if he does a fraction

of it we'll still give him sometimes

Allah says we have given you even though

you don't deserve it inah bak and in

other places of the Quran Allah explains

about the disbelievers Allah says we've

given them as well and we will continue

giving them on Earth just so that we

know their coupons are spent and also

that they realize later on that Allah

had favored us we were the ones who did

not believe in the one Lord the maker

the Creator the nourisher the cherisher

the sustainer the provider the protector

the curer we never gave him gratitude

now the big question is how do I show

gratitude to Allah I want to thank Allah

I want to thank him because I need good

health Better Health I want to thank him

because now that I have good health I

don't want to be affected by the

negative Health that is for example via

the pandemic that we are going through

right now or any other sickness and

disease may Allah protect us and grant

us cure and may Allah subahu wa ta'ala

have mercy on Those whom he's taken away

but I want to show gratitude to Allah so

that I have increase because that

equation remember you want increase show

gratitude so the question is how do I

show the Gratitude very simple number

one understand that you must fulfill

your obligations unto Allah that is the

primary method of showing gratitude to

Allah before you say oh Allah thanks to

you that lip service what is more

important than it is to obey the

instruction of Allah if you did your

five Salah a day it is far more valuable

than saying I appreciate your favor upon

me oh Allah because you could say one

thing and your actions are heading in

another Direction but if your actions

are part of the praise and those actions

happen to be the obligations that Allah

has placed upon your shoulders you are

successful imagine someone the same man

who gave you the 10 or 11,000 we made it

now right and suddenly he says sorry man

can you just press this button here for

my car to turn to open the doors and you

walk away would you walk away that's the

question it was simple to say no problem

I'll press it five times for you right

you agree because the man did a favor to

you he was kind to you kindness should

breed

[Applause]

kindness we know that verse it's

inah is the recompense of favor or

goodness anything besides goodness

viously it is goodness someone does good

to you do good to them so if that person

told you can you just press this button

you would immediately say no problem

bring it I press it when Allah who has

given you your life your food your drink

your clothing your sight your smell your

health your wealth everything tells you

just pray five times a day how can we

say you know what it's a bit cold at the

moment it's difficult to make for so I

think I'll give it to miss as I as it is

I heard Allah is and most merciful it's

okay he understand that it's

Cod now we're using the mercy of Allah

to disobey Allah that's not on not at

all on you cannot use the fact that

Allah is merciful to say therefore I'm

going to sin or I'm not going to fulfill

obligations because he will

understand may Allah strengthen us you

want to show gratitude you want to give

thanks W it starts off by fulfilling the

command of Allah Allah has asked you to

dress in a specific specific way you

dress in a nice way neat way Allah

subhanahu wa tala has asked you to fast

for example in Ramadan he's asked you

the five daily prayers he's asked you to

abstain from Haram food Etc but more

importantly remember I'm talking of

fulfilling the obligations that's number

one number two is to stay away from the

prohibitions and whenever you have

faulted because you're a human being to

seek the Forgiveness of Allah is also

showing gratitude to Allah I show

gratitude by fulfilling the command of

Allah I show gratitude by abstaining

from the prohibition I that Allah has

declared and I show gratitude by seeking

forgiveness wherever I have faulted

because I'm a human being then I show

gratitude by saying oh Allah thanks is

all to

you to you belongs all praise to you

belongs all thanks oh you who created

from nothing you are the greatest it is

gratitude then myar come into place I

need to engage in of Allah the

remembrance of Allah the Contin

continuous remembrance of Allah I need

to make sure I read the Quran because

that is part of remember that you pick

up the Quran and read it recite it in a

melodious tone you smile I'm giving

gratitude to Allah that's how you show

gratitude to Allah then watch what Allah

does to you number one he tells you that

I will give your heart its contentment

that goes to show that the biggest gift

you can have as a mmin as a Believer is

the contentment of the heart and it is

closely connected to your connection

with Allah when you're connected with

Allah he gives you contentment of the

heart now let me explain when you're a

happy person even if you have a meal

that costs you five Rand and another

person has a meal that cost them 500

Rand you know what you will lead a much

better life in terms of quality because

you have gratitude in

you oh Allah fulfill myself give me the

contentment with what you have bestowed

upon me not necessarily increase in

figures sometimes Allah increases people

in figures they go out sinning they

finally made the money in order to be

able to do the sin they always wanted to

do but it's happening but when we have

from Allah and we thank him Allah grants

us contentment now listen to this what

if difficulty comes your way because

Allah is going to test you right Allah

said I'm going to test you so Allah says

you need two things and Sh you need to

Bear patience and be grateful why do

those two always come together the

Hadith mentions them together the Quran

mentions them together because with a

combination of those two you become a

complete believer and you are truly

content combination of patience and

gratitude whenever something happens to

you the first thing a Believer should

say it could have been worse I thank

Allah the other day something happened

where we missed a flight or it was not

according to our plan and I told my son

I said just keep repeating Allah oh

Allah to you belongs all praise I'm not

even upset he says but how come I said

because right now what Allah wanted is

happening what we want he has sidelined

it don't you trust

him may Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala make

us strong it's easy to say that when

simple things happen right but when you

lose life or when someone is really sick

or when something has gone damagingly

wrong huge robbery then try to say Allah

oh Allah to you belongs all praise do

you know what the prophet sallallah alhi

wasallam used to say he used to say

Subhan Allah Subhan Allah you must

listen to this and we must say

itd all praise belongs to Allah upon all

conditions whatever the condition is all

praise belongs to Allah alhamdulillah

when you say alhamdulillah you're at

peace you missed your flight you're at

peace something went wrong you suddenly

tested positive may Allah Grant shifa to

all of us but you won't get so you know

you won't lose that contentment you say

it's in the hands of Allah we'll take it

in our stride we'll continue so you have

to bear patience patience is part of

gratitude because when something small

goes wrong and you start swearing

shouting screaming yelling it shows that

your gratitude is out of order you're

not grateful for what Allah has bestowed

upon you why are you shouting screaming

getting vulgar why are you becoming

physical relax take it easy thank Allah

Praise Him and Allah will take you very

far very very far so that's the message

I have today my brothers my sisters a

lot is going wrong praise Allah thank

him when you thank him he will give you

increase in goodness and he will

decrease your woes he will decrease the

anxiety he will decrease the stress that

you have when you leave things in his

hands do your best according to the

capacity given to you by Allah praise

him thank him fulfill the commands stay

away from prohibitions show gratitude to

Allah seek forgiveness where you've gone

wrong because you're a human you're

bound to go wrong at times and then you

see how Allah will open your doors one

after the other and then you'll start

floating into a new territory where you

are now into the Quran you're now into

thear you're now into the lessons you

now go to the Masjid you're now

connected to good things and life shall

continue may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala

grant us the greatest of blessings