Gratitude is an expression of thank and appreciation to anyone who do any favor to us. In Islam, gratitude is a solid foundation of faith, as no one do more favor that our Creator to us. Allah SWT bless us with gratitude as a natural gift, so that we can always be thankful, not only towards our Creator but also to another people around us.
Here are the importance of gratitude in Islam:
1. Recognizing Allah’s SWT bless to us
No one has given us more that our own Creator, Allah SWT. We can recognize all the blessings He gives to us by sends out gratitude to Him. The air we breathe everyday is a blessing, the fact that we can raise from our sleep in the morning is also blessing, not to mention all the material things Allah SWT never stops to give to us.
2. To gain more blessing from Allah SWT
Less gratitude invites many negatives energy to come close to us. If we can’t find a away to be grateful, we will be in despair and never feel sufficient with anything we have. By feeling grateful to Allah SWT, we will gain more rewards from him. Such as our heart become calmer and slow, and we never feel short of anything in life. Peace, joy, harmony, prosperity, and ease will come to those who know to be grateful to Allah SWT. Gratitude is a secret key to live a peaceful life.
3. To win Allah’s SWT favor
Allah SWT loves His dutiful servants and punished those who disobey Him. As Allah SWT loves everyone who grateful and show his gratitude to Him, He promised to raise the rank of those who win His favor.
“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.” – Ibrahim (14:7)
4. To gain more friends
Showing gratitude not only to Allah SWT, but to another human who has done any favor to us as well. If you are being grateful to other people, they will feel appreciated and recognized. This make a big impact to your social life, as you will be friends with anyone you are thankful with. Making a lot of friends not only make a happier life but also lengthen you life span.
5. To resolve the problems in our lives
Do you realize what is the very first verse in the Holy Quran after basmalah? Yes, it is “Alhamdulillahi Rabbil ‘alamin” which means all praise and thank to be the One who gave us life. Allah wants us to start everything with gratitude towards Him, as he will sort out everything in our favor. So when you fall in a lot of problems that seems too much to handle, remember Allah SWT by sending your utmost gratitude towards Him, and He will show you the way to resolve it.
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6. All the things we have is solely from Allah SWT
Nothing in our lives happened on its own account. It has planned and designed by Allah SWT. Gratitude towards Allah SWT reminds us that we shouldn’t take Allah’s SWT blessing for granted and becoming full of it. Expressing gratitude to Allah SWT is of course shown by doing prayers and other religious obligations.
He says, “And whatever of blessings and good things you have, it is from Allah” – An Nahl (16:53) and also, “And He found you poor and made you rich (self sufficient with self contentment)” – Dhuha (93:8)
7. To ward off the punishment from Allah SWT
While not showing gratitude to Allah SWT will stray off us away from His blessing, being grateful towards Him helps us to ward off the punishment at the Day of Judgement. If Allah is about to punish us, all the gratitude we send to Him will be justifying it.
“If Allah took mankind to task by that which they deserve, He would not leave a living creature on the surface of the earth; but He grants them reprieve unto an appointed term, and when their term comes – then verily Allah is Ever All-Seer of His slaves” – Fatir (35:45)
8. To slow down our heart thankful to everything we have
Greed is one of the human nature. Never feel enough of what we have at the moment and always want more. Being greedy means showing no gratitude towards Allah ASWT who has blessed us with all the good things. Feeling gratitude to Allah SWT helps us to find happiness in our everyday lives and feeling sufficient with everything we have at the moment. The Prophet (SAW) said, “…if the son of Adam has one valley, he will wish that he had a second, and if he had two valleys, he would wish that he had a third. The stomach of the son of Adam will be filled only with dust (i.e., he is never satisfied)…” – Ahmad.
9. Gratitude is a patience
Gratitude is not only being thankful with everything we have, but also testing our patience to hold up the desire from anything we could have. However, as said by Ibn Qayyim, “Patience in resisting desires is easier than patience in dealing with the consequences that result from going along with desires, because it either leads to pain and punishment or it prevents a more complete pleasure…”
10. Training the mind to be focused to the blessings
In life we should look up more to the blessings we have than the problems we faced. Problems brings only negativity to our lives while counting on the blessing is an act of gratitude that will brings happiness.
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11. Recognize other’s favor to us
By being grateful, we recognized any favor other people has done to us. We should reciprocate it by at least saying thank you. Thus, Thank you is a beautiful word that can gain other smile, as well as positive respond or feedback from other.
12. Getting the pleasure of Allah SWT
In the Hereafter, we’ll win Allah SWT’s pleasure by showing gratitude to Him. Whoever grateful to Allah SWT will never feel His anger. Thus, Allah SWT love the one who can control her or his emotional to not to become person with so high temper.
13. Gratitude not only by words but through action
As gratitude is a foundation of faith, we should not only say it through or mouth, but also put it in our hearts, with our tongues, and shown through actions.
So those are the importance of gratitude in Islam. May all of us always be grateful towards our Creator and towards another human being as well.