بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
“So remember Me; I will remember you. And be grateful to Me and do not deny Me.” (Quran 2:152)
In life, gratitude is like the special ingredient that makes everything taste better. It’s about appreciating the good stuff, even when things get tough. You know, like when you’re having a bad day but still manage to find something to smile about.
Think of it like this: Imagine you’re walking through a beautiful garden, and each flower you see represents something good in your life—a friend’s laugh, a warm cup of tea, or even just a sunny day. Gratitude is like stopping to smell those flowers and saying, “Wow, I’m really lucky to have this in my life.”
But sometimes, we forget to stop and smell the flowers. We get so caught up in our problems or our busy lives that we forget to appreciate the little things. That’s where Islam comes in. It teaches us to be grateful for all the blessings we have, big or small, and to remember that everything comes from Allah.
So, in this article, we’re going to explore what gratitude looks like in Islam. We’ll talk about how it can change your outlook on life, make you happier, and bring you closer to Allah. So, grab a cup of tea and let’s dive in!
1. You remember that everything in this world is temporary
“Know that the life of this world is but amusement and diversion and adornment and boasting to one another and competition in increase of wealth and children – like the example of a rain whose [resulting] plant growth pleases the tillers; then it dries and you see it turned yellow; then it becomes [scattered] debris. And in the Hereafter is severe punishment and forgiveness from Allah and approval. And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion.” (Quran 57:20)
Allah said this world is temporary. Everything from the beauties of this dunya will one day come to an end. Whether it be your loved ones, the trees and flowers you plant, the brewing of your sweet caramel coffee, everything. It all comes to an end.
When you can constantly remind yourself of the finite nature of everything in this dunya, you will instantly appreciate it more. And of course, this applies to yourself as well. Remember that you are immortal. You and I can face death at any moment. Not a moment sooner or later by the decree of Allah.
Remembering death will instantly put us in the akhirah mindset. We suddenly remember that we have to gather as many good deeds, make amends and make the most of this dunya before we leave this world to return to Allah.
2. You devour the little everyday-life pleasures
“Whoever is not grateful for a little will not be grateful for a lot.” (Bukhari)
Allah said if you were to count every single blessing (ni’mah) that Allah has given you in your life, you would not be able to. That truly shows how generous and merciful our Lord is. He gives and gives without prerequisites.
The sound of your toddler giggling when you tickle her, the sweet smell of your coffee brewing at the coffee shop this morning, the laughter of your handsome husband when he sees your messy morning hair-do. As you relish these sweet and simple life pleasures that come in and out of your life every day, you are indeed being grateful to Allah.
This is why Allah said that if you can be grateful for the things He has given you, He will increase it and give you more. For example, if you take the time to devour the sweet moments you have with your husband despite how busy each day is, you will naturally be more fond of each other and want to spend more time with each other. Can you see how the little things lead to bigger things?
So, start appreciating the little stuff because it will snowball into bigger pleasures insyaAllah. This simple reminder of death and loss prevents us from taking anything for granted. 🙂
3. You feel like you don’t deserve Allah’s gifts
“The example of a grateful heart is like a lamp, it illuminates the entire body.” (Tirmidhi)
If you always feel humbled that Allah keeps giving you so many beautiful things in your life, most of the time without you even asking, that is a sign that you are truly grateful to Allah.
If you think about it, Allah could take away whatever we have and love in just a blink of an eye at any moment. He does not need our permission or anyone else’s. This means that every single person or thing that we have in our lives, no matter how much we feel we own them, is in fact Allah’s temporary ‘gifts’ to us. We do not own a single thing.
Sometimes, we tend to demand more from Allah without first realizing that we are merely humble slaves of His. Slaves don’t demand things from their master, they humbly request and hope that their kind master would grant their wish.
As slaves or servants of Allah, we need to rejoice that we are in fact slaves to an unbelievably Merciful Lord – most of the time He gives and takes care of us without us even asking. But at the same time, we need to have a sense of humility and humbleness with our Lord thinking He has given us more than we actually deserve.
4. You appreciate the people in your life
“Whoever does not thank people has not thanked Allah.” (Ahmad)
You know you are truly grateful to Allah when you constantly show appreciation for the people in your life. How do you appreciate the people in your life? By constantly making their day a little bit better. Putting that smile on their faces and making them feel special and loved. 🙂
There are many different ways you can show appreciation towards others and loved ones in your life. Here are some ways:
- You make dua for them in secret
- You give thoughtful gifts to them
- You compliment their best characters
- You remember their sacrifices for you and try to reciprocate
- You give handwritten notes or love notes (to your spouse for example)
- You always say thank you and show kindness to them
These are simple yet profound ways we can appreciate one another.
Rasulullah s.a.w said even a smile is a charity towards another. Islam is beautiful. Let’s use it to please Allah. 🙂
5. You are specific when thanking someone
“Gratitude is the heart’s memory.” (Ibn Qayyim)
Do you find yourself mentioning the details of the things you appreciate when you thank someone? You might say to your husband, ‘Thank you for the treat today honey, that roasted chicken was delicious.’ (We just came back from Chicken Rice Shop so this is just one example I can think of) 😀
If you find yourself naturally mentioning or listing all the pleasures you love, it is a sign that you are truly grateful for it. Why is this so important? Because people thrive when you appreciate them. They love you more for it as it strengthens your bond.
Unlike things, your coffee, for example, doesn’t give a hoot if you thank it for being sweet and delicious. But people, when you thank them and mention every little thing you love about them, they thrive and bloom like the flowers in spring.
Try it. Thank someone sincerely by mentioning all the good stuff that you love and see how they light up like the star you want them to be. 🙂
6. You thank Allah even for the ‘bad stuff’
“The thankful person is the one who, when given something, uses it in obedience to Allah.” (Ahmad)
We think ‘the bad stuff’ like not landing on the job we wanted, or marrying the person we wanted is ‘bad’ when in fact it is Qadar of Allah (the decree of Allah) that it did not happen. And if Allah allowed something to take place in your life, it means that it is good for you no matter how much you dislike it.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Amazing is the affair of the believer, verily all of his affair is good and this is not for no one except the believer. If something good happens to him, he is grateful and that is good for him. If something harmful happens to him, he is patient and that is good for him.” (Sahih Muslim 2999)
For a muslimah, every event is good for her. If something is pleasing to her, she thanks Allah for it, if some hardship befalls her, she stays patient and continues to put her trust in Allah. That’s the mindset of a grateful believer.
Essentially being a grateful muslimah is to continue doing your best to please Allah in every situation be it good or bad. Because she knows that Allah is The All Knowing and Merciful. He knows what is ultimately good for her even when she does not realize it herself. That is why she continues to always put her trust in Allah even when she does not understand what is going on sometimes.
Here is a great indicator whether something is good for you or not – if it brings you closer to Allah and prevents the displeasure of Allah, then it is good for you. As simple as that. For example, someone might be in an unhappy marriage, she constantly struggles to please her husband because (for the love of Allah) this husband is just the type that is unbelievably hard to please.
Despite all her best efforts, this situation in her life somehow pushes her to keep turning to Allah, asking for his guidance and mercy to guide her husband’s heart towards loving her and appreciating her more. She never loses hope. Instead, she increased her knowledge in deen and strive to be the best muslimah she can be each day despite all odds hoping that one day her husband would come around. Kind of like the modern day Pharaoh and Asiya situation.
In this case, even though the situation is bleak at the moment, as long as she is constantly pleasing Allah each day, getting closer to Him despite her marriage condition, her marriage is actually a blessing in disguise because it is leading her to Jannah and the pleasure of Allah.
On the contrary, if she were to complain about her situation and keep displeasing her husband by neglecting her wifely duties, losing hope in Allah’s mercy, then the situation is actually bad for her. It might be best for her to get out of the unhappy marriage so that she can regain her connection with Allah and maybe find a new husband who would be a better companion for her to strive for Jannah together.
7. You use Quran and Sunnah to take care of your Amanahs (Trusts)
“And We have certainly established you upon the earth and made for you therein ways of livelihood. Little are you grateful.” (Quran 7:10)
The Quran and Sunnah is our only lifeline as muslimahs. Without it, we would have no reference or guidance to bring us to the straight path. We would then, by default, be vulnerable to all the deviant mindsets and teachings of this world that most of the time worships our desires. This would bring us to inevitable destruction and loss.
So, out of the mercy of Allah, as He created us, He gave us a manual or a guide to help us navigate this life and live successfully according to His laws. Allah gave us the Quran and Sunnah as a guide for us to stay on the straight path and not deviate into destruction. We would need to follow His straight path diligently when handling the Amanahs (trusts) that Allah puts in our lives.
Your Amanahs are the things Allah entrusted you with in this life – your body, health, wealth, children, possession etc. When you continuously do your best to take care of every Amanah according to Allah’s guidance from the Quran and Sunnah, that is a sign that you are grateful to Allah.
You know that you will be answerable to Allah in the way you handle these things. Therefore, you are mindful each day to constantly give your best when it comes to taking care of everything that Allah has given you.
That is one of the true signs that you are grateful to Allah.
But Allah knows, no matter how much we try and do our best, as human beings we will inevitably make mistakes. That is why Allah never stops reminding us that His mercy supersedes His wrath and that whenever we seek His forgiveness, His doors are always open and welcoming. We would only need to take the first steps towards pleasing Him. Isn’t that comforting? Alhamdulillah. I’m so glad I’m a Muslim. 🙂
Conclusion
“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.'” (Quran 14:7)
Being grateful to Allah requires that you be mindful of the fact that you are indeed a slave of Allah. 🙂 You need to recognize that this world is merely a temporary pit stop before we continue our journey to meet Allah in the akhirah insyaAllah.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Be in this world as though you were a stranger or a traveler.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6416)
When we can remember that everything in this dunya will come to an end, it will help us appreciate the little things even more and so we would not take anything for granted.
Being grateful is the key to bring in more blessings in our lives. Allah promised that if you are grateful to Him, He will increase you. And notice that He did not mention specifically what He will increase for you.
He just promises that you will gain something more. So let’s continue to devour the simple pleasures in life and be grateful for it. It will help increase our iman, strengthen our relationships and bring us closer to our ultimate source of peace and guidance – Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
May we always be amongst His most grateful slaves and may Allah continue to shower us with the best of His blessings in this dunya and akhirah. Ameen.
Love and Salam,
Aimi
Any good from this article is from Allah and any evil is from the shaytaan and me. May Allah forgive our shortcomings in practicing His deen.
Wa billahi tawfeeq wa hidayah
(All successes come from Allah and His guidance).
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