Blessed. Thankful. Grateful – Gratitude in Islam

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Alhamdulillah Table Decor

“… And if you should count the favors of Allah, you could not enumerate them.” (14:34)

Do you consciously try to practice an attitude of Shukr, a.k.a gratitude?

We all know that being grateful can do wonders to our lives. When we acknowledge His Hand in our life, miracles can happen. However, in our materialistic culture, it’s so hard not to fall prey to the consistent food and consumer appeal that can make us forget what we have. Only by being continuously reminded of our limitless blessings and reconnecting with the One who has provided the gifts we enjoy can we begin to cultivate our gratitude practice.

I was recently listening to a very powerful podcast about Gratitude and Self-Compassion with Brodie Welch of A Healthy Curiosity. Her guest for that day’s show, Dr. Patty Hlava, a licensed psychotherapist, helped shift the lens through which I view gratitude. I listened to the episode twice and couldn’t get enough! I would highly encourage everyone to give it a listen here.

Dr. Hlava shares many deep insights, but here are a few key takeaways that may benefit us all:

1. Gratitude in its essence is relational.
2. Gratitude is the gateway to self-compassion and the two skills are intimately intertwined.
3. We feed what we focus on and what we focus on is where our energy goes.
4. Channeling a Gratitude Petronas (Harry Potter anyone? ;)) connects us to our inner strengths.
5. When we soften the body, we soften the mind.
6. Everything we experience in life is universal.
7. At their roots, gratitude and self-compassion are grounding and connect us to what matters.
8. Connection moves us away from shame and brings us back home into our hearts.

The first statement is what really struck me. When we truly feel grateful, we are usually in deeper connection with ourselves and others, the Divine, and feel much less alone. We are often overcome with waves of positive energy, periods of heartfelt happiness and contentment, and we even ride off this high to get through challenges we may be facing simultaneously. These feel good vibes naturally play out in our bodies. When feeling grateful, our bodies tend to become more open and inviting to others and new experiences, allowing us to leave space for change, be more amenable to take risks, and be less closed off to retreat inwards.

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Alhamdulillah Art Print

These may not be new revelations, but when we think about this concept of relationality when it comes to God and those He puts in our path, it can really shift our perspective. Dr. Hlava’s words made me reflect upon the number of times Allah (SWT) calls on us to be grateful throughout the Qur’an. I had never thought about showing gratitude to Allah as a gift to call us back to Him for our own survival. We know that Allah (SWT) is closer to us than our jugular veins and that He loves us seventy times more than a mother loves her own child, but by constantly being in a state of gratitude, Allah (SWT) keeps our hearts always connected to Him. Perhaps this is His way of ensuring we never feel alone no matter how tough life gets and to soften our heart’s pain.

 

So, in light of practicing an attitude of gratitude, I wanted to examine a few of the beautiful verses in the Qur’an where Allah (SWT) speaks about gratitude. Specifically, I want you to Quran verses about gratitude through this lens of connectivity and companionship, and as an opportunity to connect with our hearts to tap into Divine reservoirs of inner strength and resiliency. I pray that we can read and reflect upon them in this season with new eyes, to reconnect with our forever life companion – Allah swt. May they help transform us to remain in sincere states of gratitude to Him year round insha’Allah.

Gratitude Ayah #1

“And He gave you from all you asked of Him. And if you should count the favors of Allah, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, mankind is [generally] most unjust and ungrateful.” (14:34)

This is an absolute favorite verse about gratitude for many and one whose essence – that Allah’s gifts are innumerable –we all may be familiar with. Allah (SWT) is always giving, always answering our supplications. However, the answers to our prayers may not appear when and how we expect. It is then that we are invited to look past what appears on the surface, beyond what we desire, to think about the One who always wants and gives us what’s best for us despite how things may seem.

If the One who generously gives appears to have withheld and we are left wanting this season, I invite myself and you to use these moments of coming together in the holiday season to be a little more present to what’s around our tables and a little less inclined to what’s not. If we are missing loved ones and those who may have passed on, then perhaps we can use these feelings of absence to recall moments of joy we have felt with them and really breathe in these moments into our bodies.

As Dr. Hlava mentions, when we soften our bodies, we soften our minds. By allowing ourselves to take a moment to acknowledge how we feel, and breathe in better times when we were experiencing pure happiness and gratitude, our neurophysiology shifts. Suddenly, our muscles can relax again, we can release some of the tension we have built up, and we can begin to breathe and live with normalcy.

Allah’s gifts are always innumerable, and sometimes His withholding is itself the best gift we need. We may never fully be able to recognize or show gratitude for all His favors in the manner worthy of their appreciation. However, in this holiday season and beyond, I hope we can use the opportunity to slow down from the busyness of our daily lives to be more present and connected to His many gifts.

Gratitude Ayah #2

“And whatever of blessings and good things you have, it is from Allah.” (16:53)

Again, another reminder to connect to our Ultimate Source of all gifts: Allah (SWT). His gifts can never be appreciated by creation in the manner they truly deserve. In Surah Ar-Rahman, Allah (SWT) repeats the verse asking “And, which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?” thirty one times, showing mankind that there is no end to His favors and pointing to His overflowing mercy time and again.

Even our dear Prophet Muhammad (SAW), whose past and future sins had all been forgiven, would pray for long hours into the night to such an extent that his feet would swell. When asked about the depths of his devotion by his wife, Aisha ®, he would remark: “Shall I not be a grateful servant?” (Bukhari/Muslim)

Prophet Muhammad’s relationship with Allah was the strongest of any human being and one he strove to preserve. Despite being forgiven, he desired to make his gratitude known and feared he wasn’t demonstrating it enough. The benefits of this sweet relationship between the Prophet (SAW) and Allah are apparent for us to see by his Seerah, by the beautiful character he espoused, and the ways in which he treated all with dignity, respect, and compassion.

More than any other human being, the Prophet (SAW) was afflicted by calamity time and time again. Yet, in these moments of trials and tribulations, he clung to his loving relationship with the Divine. By remembering that Allah (SWT) loved him and wanted the best for him in spreading the Divine message, he found newfound strength and was able to exercise some self-compassion. In times of weakness, this Gratitude Petronas gave him the courage to persevere and persist in sharing the message of Islam, replacing his fears with hope and providing needed confidence in his abilities.
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Alhamdulillah Art Print

Gratitude Ayah #3

“…Anyone who is grateful does so to the profit of his own soul…” (31:12)

This portion of the verse comes in reference to the wisdom that was bestowed upon Prophet Luqman who is seen as the sage who adhered to the Divine teachings he was given. As a result, an entire chapter is dedicated to him in the Qur’an. Prophet Luqman’s ability to live a life in deep gratitude and appreciation to God is rewarded by his veneration in the Qur’an. Prophet Luqman realized that human beings are the ones in need of Divine guidance and by living a life of praise, he brought his station in line with the way Allah (SWT) has designed man to be by their very nature.

Much of the literature on gratitude today points to the profound benefits cultivating this skill can have on our psyche and ultimately our lives. We are taught that gratitude can be transformative, altering the ways in which we see and interact, and offering healing powers when we need it most. The times when it is the hardest to come by are often the most needed and powerful as a response. Dr. Hlava relates that in her work, she has found that some of, “…the most profound experiences of gratitude happen when people are in their most difficult times…” We can all certainly attest to this truth.

Allah (SWT) is above any and all praise we can offer Him, but perhaps we can use this holiday season where we are reminded to be grateful as an opportunity to re-calibrate our lives to be more Divine-centered and guided by gratitude. Perhaps we can make amends where ties have been broken or offer to see people in a new light, not clouded by past misdeeds. Maybe we can finally move past situations and self-limiting beliefs we have allowed to define us and alter the internal negative scripts that have prevented us from receiving Divine gifts Allah (SWT) has had in store. When our relationships can be refined, gratitude and self-grace are a natural byproduct, and we are the ultimate beneficiaries.

Gratitude Ayah #4

“And it is He Who made the Night and the Day to follow each other: for such as have the will to celebrate His praises or to show their gratitude” (25:62)

Day in and day out, everything in the heavens and the earth moves about as God has designed. The Night easily moves into the Day, the Day into the Night, and each stays true to its Divine path. No one stays constant, reminding us of the temporality of life, of circumstances of joy and pain that will inevitably come and go. Thus is the nature of life. Both repeat, but for a short while, and then pass.

If we can retrain our minds to focus on life’s temporal nature, we can invite ourselves to be more present in both the highs and lows. If we can expand how we relate to our experiences and allow others in, we can begin to move towards greater self-compassion for ourselves and others. Simply acknowledging that something is tough can soften us up to be our own ally and allow others to step up to do the same even if they have differing experiences. Humbling ourselves to life’s ephemerality can shift our perspectives from feeling stuck to riding out the wave, guided by a more open heart.

Gratitude Ayahs #5-6

“It is He Who created for you (the faculties of) hearing, sight, feeling and understanding; little thanks it is ye give!” (31:31)

“[Easy is it for Him to create likeness and variety:] [10] thus, the two great bodies of water [on earth] are not alike [11] the one sweet, thirst-allaying, pleasant to drink, and the other salty and bitter: and yet, from either of them do you eat fresh meat, and [from either] you take gems which you may wear; and on either thou canst see ships ploughing through the waves, so that you might [be able to] go forth in quest of some of His bounty, and thus have cause to be grateful.” (35:12)

When we look at gratitude from this framework of connection, we lend ourselves to seeing more of the constant Divine bounties – those we may often take for granted – in a newer, appreciative light. It can be so easy to forget the immensity of our five senses – that allow us to take in the fullness of life – or the earthly sustenance we reply upon when we have them at our disposal. During seasons of Thanksgiving, the abundance of Divine gifts are on full display, in their beautiful, colorful varieties.

I challenge myself and you as we head into the new year to lean into these gifts to channel our inner gratitude. Amid upcoming gatherings with family and friends, may we take in all the noise with stride, seeing it for the companionship that adds richness to our lives. May the sweet aromas that fill our homes light up our hearts with the reminder of life’s abundance – in food, family, friends, and festivities – and the pure joy of being able to feel it all. May we use this time to rekindle any severed connections, remembering that our ability to feel deeply is what allows us to connect with such depth.

While Thanksgiving in America is simply a season, for us as Muslims, it has been taught as our way of life. Every moment is one of alhamdulilah (Thanks be to God), and we begin the Qur’an reminded of our indebtedness to the Creator and Lord of the Worlds. We repeat this reminder on our tongue at least seventeen times a day throughout our prayers – that’s how integral gratitude is to our being and how vital our connection with Allah (SWT). If we can begin to see gratitude not just as a seasonal enterprise, but as a lifeline that tightens Divine bonds, it will truly be the gift that keeps on giving.

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