other in the life of a believer.

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1 Saturday July 20, :00 PM Our journey in the month of Ramadhan to the pleasure of Allah SWT then there will be obstacles coming from all sides but these fitnah will show the reality of the believer because a true believer will overcome all these trials and continue his journey towards Allah SWT because he has provision like faith, seeking help from Allah SWT and being patient. Yesterday we talked about the patience and we see that patience and gratitude come together so the spoonful of Joy for today is the Power of gratitude. Patience and gratitude together make a believer and they make a believer to go towards Allah SWT we need patience in everything whether good or bad, pleasing or displeasing to us, under all circumstances we need to have patience and the same goes for gratitude also. They complement each other in the life of a believer. What does gratitude mean? It means something apparent; the effects of the blessings should show on the person enjoying the blessing it should be visible on all over: in the heart: by feeling grateful to Allah SWT and by acknowledging that all the blessings are from Allah SWT and always praising Him; it should show on the tongue; never say anything negative; when we are sensible towards the blessings then we will never stop praising Allah SWT Alhamdulillah whether he is talking to the people or within himself his tongue will be always busy in praising Allah SWT for all the blessings; like Allah SWT says in Quran Surah Ad Dhuha Ayah 11 The effect of the blessings should show on all the limbs all the limbs used to worship Allah SWT going towards the pleasure of Allah SWT and this actually the gratitude. This is the reality of the gratitude should be apparent on everything ( ) and because of the virtues of the gratitude Allah SWT has ordered His servants to be grateful ( ). Allah SWT is telling the people to be patient and at the same time gratitude and Allah SWT command us only what is benefitting us. One of the reasons for people to be ungrateful is the oblivious or negligent from the Ramadhan Life Project Page 1

2 blessings Allah SWT has showered on them they are still complaining about everything. Allah SWT said in the Quran in Surah Nahl Ayah 53 that all the blessings are exclusively from Allah SWT but still people are ignoring the blessings. There are different ways blessings reach the people: There are blessings from Allah SWT which you know that only He is giving you - no mean to get otherwise like sunlight, moon or the seas no mean in the middle but because these blessings are always there we take them as for granted assuming that these will always be there. The blessings which are trials, blessings which come through some means like somebody gives you a gift and because that person is visible our heart becomes attached and grateful to him forgetting the real Bestower of the blessing. people getting the blessings because of their worship their focus is ikhlaas, doing only for the sake of Allah SWT not hoping nay reward from anyone else then Allah SWT brings blessings for the worshipper but he needs to always attribute the blessings to only Allah SWT and should not feel proud on their worship. There are different types of gratitude: General gratitude when a person being grateful of duniya matters ( ) like children, wealth one needs to be grateful on all the blessings but this type is general gratefulness. Special gratitude when someone is appreciative on the faith, religion, obedience, worship ( ) these are the special blessings for the believers so there should be special appreciation on this blessing. Appreciative because of the akhira How to be grateful: one needs to be Gratitude is an action and worship of the heart; to have a firm heart on gratitude Humble submissive to the Bestower. Ramadhan Life Project Page 2

3 When we experience Allah s blessings all around us then along with humbleness we feel utmost love of the One who has bestowed all these blessings without even asking; to admit and confess the blessings of Allah SWT when we confess that everything is from Allah SWT even though it might have come from the means only then we can be really grateful to Him; and praise in the heart When the heart is overflowing with humbleness and love and is filled with the praise of Allah SWT then we attain which is using the blessings in a manner pleasing to Allah SWT. This is the way to make the gratitude a worship of the heart SubhanAllah. We have the best example in the form of Nabi SAW for the patience and the gratitude 1. Allah SWT loves gratitude and the grateful ones because Allah SWT Himself is an appreciative One ( ) no one is more appreciative than Him, He appreciative even small deeds from His servants and multiply their rewards to measures only known by Him ( ) SubhanAllah and the biggest reward is the pleasure of Allah SWT and because of His appreciation He will make His servants enter the Paradise though their deeds will ne be sufficient to have that reward. Allah SWT does not need our gratitude He is the Most Rich but He loves gratitude, when we are grateful then He is also grateful and it is only we who benefit from the gratitude and Allah SWT loves everything which benefit His servants and the more we know about Allah SWT the more we will appreciate and be grateful to Him. There are levels of gratitude: 1. people appreciate the good things children, wealth etc scholars say this is minimum level of gratitude; 1 'A'isha said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to get up to pray at night to the extent that his feet became swollen. I said to him, 'Why do you do this, Messenger of Allah, when you have been forgiven your past and future wrong actions?' He said, 'Should I not be a thankful slave?'" [Agreed upon] Ramadhan Life Project Page 3

4 2. People grateful even with the hardship because they know that Allah SWT will not decree anything which is not beneficial; Ayub AS was an example of a grateful slave because he knew that the hardships cause expiation of the sins though he was a messenger. He lost his health, all his children, wealth but he appreciated that Allah SWT has given me heart and tongue to be grateful to my Lord SubhanAllah. People are blind even from the blessings and are ungrateful may Allah SWT save us from being ungrateful Ameen; 3. The highest level is that one is grateful because Allah SWT is his Lord he is appreciating Allah SWT Himself that all the praise is to the One who is the Rabb, the Most Perfect, the Bestower of all the blessings; appreciates all the Names and attributes of Allah SWT. Power of gratitude: Increment: Surah Ibrahim Ayah 7 when we are grateful then Allah SWT increase in all the goodness in this duniya and the akhira because Allah SWT loves gratitude and He increases His blessings but if we are ungrateful then the torment is severe; Safeguard from Allah s punishment: as given in Surah Saba Allah SWT gave them so much blessings but the people were highly ungrateful so Allah SWT took away His blessings; Allah SWT says in Surah An Nisa Ayah 147 that Allah SWT does punish the grateful ones; Chain/trap the blessings: as long as we are grateful on all the blessings which Allah SWT has bestowed upon us then it is a security that Allah SWT will continue giving His blessings; Pleasure of Allah SWT: be grateful on all the blessings and Allah SWT will be pleased with you SubhanAllah; as Allah SWT has said in Surah Zumur Ayah 7 He does not like disbelieve but loves gratitude and is pleased with the grateful ones: Ramadhan Life Project Page 4

5 them SubhanAllah; love of Allah SWT: Allah SWT loves the grateful and He is always appreciative of abundant reward in the akhira for the grateful ones only Allah SWT the reward and it is even more than the patience SubhanAllah as Allah SWT said in Surah Ale Imran Ayah 144 that Allah SWT will reward the grateful. Summary of the power of Gratitude Dua for today Ramadhan Life Project Page 5