Gratitude

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Gratitude or 'shukr' is a powerful thing.

When we are grateful for what we already have, we're actually focusing on the positive side, which leads us to feeling happy & content.

The opposite of gratitude is ingratitude or thanklessness, which leads us to thinking that we don't have enough of something (like money), hence making us feel negative. When we feel like we don't have enough of something (e.g. power, money, beauty, wealth, love, etc), we tend to envy those who do have more. And envy is a poison that crushes us; it doesn't empower us.

So the equation is simple, I think:

Being grateful --> Makes us focus on positivity --> Feeling happy & content --> High quality life

And on the other hand, we have:

Being ungrateful --> Makes us focus on negativity --> Feeling envious, unhappy --> Stressed / Depressed

In the Qur'an, Allah proclaimed in Surah Ibrahim verse 7:

"...'If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]..."

 

In this verse, Allah promised that if we're grateful, He'll add even more favors unto us.

'Favors' here doesn't only refer to wealth (if we're grateful for the wealth He's given us), or beauty (if we're grateful for the physical appearance that He's favored upon us), or other materialistic things.

Aren't happiness, contentment & peace greater favors? Because these intangible favors are what makes our life better - a high quality life - as we call it.

As human beings in this modern world, we tend to focus only on what we can see and not much on what we can feel.

We can have very little money, but feel content with how much money we do have, and grateful that we do have some money for our livelihood, compared to those who are less fortunate. Our gratitude & positivity will lead us to take productive actions like praying to Allah (who owns & gives wealth to whoever He wishes) to give what is best for us.

Perhaps having very little now is better for us, for reasons that only He knows. We usually grow & improve when our life gets hard, because that's when we are forced to strive & struggle. And growth only happens when you struggle.

So tonight before we go to sleep, let's think about 3 things in our life that Allah has favored upon us. Just 3.

Maybe something that happened today.

Maybe a person that you love.

Maybe a hardship in the past that has turned you into the stronger person that you are today.

Whatever it is, jot them down on paper (or on your mind), and connect your heart to Allah and praise Him for those 3 things. Tell Him how grateful you are.

I hope that our connection with Him will keep getting stronger.

May Allah guide us through every step that we take. Amin.