Shukr, Thanksgiving, Gratitude, in the light of Quran and Sunnah, Islamic perspective on Gratitude and thanking, Quran on gratitude, Hadith on Gratitude, Imam Ibn Al Qayyim on Shukr,

2. History of Thanksgiving Holiday in
America
• Thanksgiving was created by the Pilgrims.
• The first Thanksgiving started in 1621.
• During that time, the Pilgrims came to America and
settled to live here and made homes.
• They celebrated the first Thanksgiving because they
wanted to give thanks and appreciation for making it
through the long journey.
• They were happy and shared the feast with
Wampanoag Indians.
• There were sports, games, food, dancing, singing, and
revelry. They prepared foods such as venison and fowl

3. Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner

4. Thanksgiving Holiday in America
• Most Americans took this idea from the
history of the first Thanksgiving.
• Every year in November, family and friends all
gather and celebrate Thanksgiving.
• They eat turkey, pumpkin pie, breads, corn,
sweet potatoes, and plenty of other
traditional foods.
• They give thanks and appreciation for what
they have done for them

5. Shukr or gratitude/thanksgiving to
Allah and people is a way of life
In Islam

6. Quran on Shukr
And if any is grateful truly his gratitude is (a gain) for his own soul;
but if any is ungrateful truly my Lord is Free of All Needs Supreme in
Honor. Namal,27:40
And remember! your Lord caused to be declared (publicly): "If ye
are grateful I will add more (favors) unto you; but if ye show
ingratitude truly My punishment is terrible indeed.“ Ibrahim,14:7

7. Quran
Truly Man is to his Lord ungrateful; And to that (fact) he bears witness
(by his deeds); And violent is he in his love of wealth. Adiyat,100:6,7,8,9
Then do ye remember Me; I will remember you. Be grateful to Me and
reject not faith. Baqarah,2:152
Nay but worship Allah and be of those who give thanks . Zumar,39:66.

8. Should I not be a grateful
slave?

9. Hadith
• Ibn Abbaas (ra) narrates that Rasulullah (saws)
said: "Whoever has attained four things has
attained the goodness of this world and the
Aakhirah. These are:
1. A heart which makes Shukr;
2. A tongue which makes Zikr;
3. A body which adopts Sabr when overtaken by
trials and tribulations; and,
4. A wife who is chaste and does not abuse the
wealth of her husband." (Baihaqi)

10. Believer is shakir and sabir
Suhaib ibn Sinan narrated that the Prophet said:
• "How remarkable is the case of the believer!
There is good for him in everything, but this is not
the case for anyone except for the believer.
• When the believer receives any good, he is
thankful to Allah, and gets a reward.
• And when some misfortune befalls him, he
endures it patiently, for which he is (also)
rewarded."

11. What is Shukr?
• It means to thank, glorify, admire, honor, Allah
(SWT) and the people through words and actions.
• One should receive favors with humility and
express his need to Allah (SWT), the Bestower of
favors.
• One must mention that he is unworthy of the
favors bestowed upon him, and that
• It is only due to the Mercy and Generosity of
Allah(SWT) that such favors were bestowed.

12. Imam Ibnul Qayyim Al Jawziyah
Shukr comprises five things:
• 1. Humbleness before Allah
• 2. Love for Him
• 3. Acknowledgement that the bounty is from
Him
• 4. Praising Him for His bounty
• 5. Not using His bounty in a manner that He
dislikes
Shukr also demands from us that:
• • Bounty should not cause us to forget the
giver of bounty.
• • A little difficulty should not cause us to
forget abundant bounty.
• [Madarij Al-Salikeen, 2/244]

13. Opposite of Shukr is Kufr
• Kufr is to forget, deliberately neglect or hide
the favors that have been given to you.
• You do not acknowledge through words or
deeds that you have been blessed or the one
who has given you the blessing.
• When we read the story of the two men and
the gardens in Surah Kahf the richer
companion is accused of kufr

14. Shakur is one of 99 names of Allah
• For He will pay them their wages, nay, He will
give them (even) more out of His Bounty: for
He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Ready to appreciate
(service). Fatir, 35:30
• According to al-Ghazali, God is absolutely
grateful, because of His unlimited
multiplication of the reward of the pious, as
they shall receive eternal bliss in Paradise.

15. Prophets were people of gratitude
• Abraham was indeed a model devoutly
obedient to Allah (and) true in faith and he
joined not gods with Allah: He showed his
gratitude for the favors of Allah Who chose
him and guided him to a straight way.
• Al Nahl,16:120-121

16. Noah, Solomon and Daud (AS)
• O ye that are sprung from those whom We
carried (in the Ark) with Noah! verily he was a
devotee most grateful. Isra,17:3
"Work ye sons of David with thanks! But few of
My servants are grateful!" Saba,34:13

17. THE NATURE OF SHUKR
• Accepting that all benefit is from the True
Benefactor (Mun'im-e- Haqeeqee),
• The effect of Shukr is to be happy with the
Benefactor and
• Be ever ready to render obedience to Him, is
the meaning of Shukr

18. Shukr for our body organs
• Eyes-to employ it in only lawful avenues, like
reading Qur'an, acquiring knowledge, studying
the wonderful creation of Allah. We must restrain
it from viewing prohibited objects
• Ears-use in listening to the Zikr of Allah and to
prevent it from listening to evil and futile talk
• Tongue- engage in Zikr, in expressing hamd
(praise), thanaa(glorification) and shukr of Allah,
and to restrain it from complaining in adversity
and from all evils

19. Stages of Shukr
• Initial Stage-is at the intellectual level. It is the
correct understanding of the true meaning of
shukr and the realization of the honor of the
Benefactor
• Final stage of shukr is the manifestation of its
effect on one's body, movements and all states. In
short, all the beliefs, acts of worship, mundane
acts, moral and social life of the shaakir (the one
who is truly grateful to Allah) will be in
conformity with the Shari'ah.

20. How to do Shukr?
• 1- To make Shukr is to be happy, content and
thankful to Allah (SWT) for whatever He has given
us.
• 2-The Prophet (pbuh) said: “He who does not
thank Allah for small favors will not thank Him
for great ones”.
• 3- The Desirability of Prostrating out of Gratitude
Abu Bakr (ra), said that when the Prophet (SAW)
heard any news that made him glad, he would fall
down prostrating to Allah (SWT)

21. How to do Shukr
• 4- Perform two rakah Salah or give charity.
• 5- The Prophet (pbuh) said: "The one who does
not give thanks to people does not give thanks to
Allah”
• 6-To use one’s possessions, wealth, status,
intelligence or health in halal way for the cause
of Allah.
• 7- To mention all that Allah Has bestowed upon
us.
Duha,93:11
But the Bounty of your Lord Rehearse and proclaim

22. Fault in expression of Shukr
• Saying alhumdolillah (all praise is due to Allah) is
in vogue in the Muslim community
• You ask someone, “How’s life?”
• Alhumdolillah…(could have stopped there but
no..) you know the economy is bad…my boss is
terrible… work hours..etc
• In order to attain meaningful ‘shukr’ these
pollutants of complaints and self-pity must be
removed
• To taste the sweetness of Shukr, say
“alhumdolillah” and do not taint it with any
excuses or complaints

23. Why would one not do Shukr?
• 1. Many people wrongly think that money is the
only valuable thing to be considered as blessing
and ignore the other blessings of Allah such as
hearing, vision, sanity and health.
• The Prophet (SAW) said, "There are two blessings
which many people lose: health and free time for
doing good." (Bukhari)
• Aisha(R) said: "Whenever a servant drinks a drop
of water which gets into his body and leaves it
with no harm, then Shukr is due."

24. 2- Not aware that there are people
who have less than them.
• One may not give thanks to his Allah because
he is unaware of the people who have less
bounties than him.
• Prophet (SAW) said, "Look at those people
who have less than you and never look at
those who have more than you, this will
ensure that you will not look down on Allah's
blessings." (Mslim,1530)

25. 3- Ignoring Allah’s attributes and rules
• The real ignorant person is the one who gets
deceived by the amount of money he has or
by his position or his power.
• He forgets the fact that as Allah has granted,
He may also take the blessings away
Say, O Allah! Lord of Power (and Rule) You give Power to whom You will and You take away power from
whom You will, and you endue with honor whom you will, and humiliate who you will. In Your Hand is
the good. Verily, You are Able to do all things."

26. Effects of Shukr in this world
• A study conducted by Emmons and McCullough in
2003 found that people who were "consciously more
grateful :
• Felt better about their lives
• Were more optimistic,
• Were more enthusiastic,
• Were more likely to have made progress toward
important personal goals,
• Were more likely to have helped someone else,
• High energy positive moods, and
• Actually had fewer illnesses.

27. Categories of Shukr
• 1. Thankfulness expressed by the tongue [shukr bi'l-lisan].
This constitutes the acknowledgment of the benefaction
[ni'ma] with an attitude of humble acceptance [istikana].
• 2. Thankfulness expressed by the body and the limbs
[shukr bi'l-badan wa 'l-arkan]. This is the characteristic
indication of loyalty and readiness to serve [al-wafa' wa 'l-
khidma].
• 3. Thankfulness expressed by the inner feeling [shukr bi'l-
qalb]. This requires a careful balance between the visible
display of appreciation and the constant preservation of a
sense of reverence.

28. More categories of Shukr
1. Shukr al-'alimin-the thankfulness of the learned
scholars, in which case it will be among the
subjects they discuss
2. Shukr al-'abidin-thankfulness of the dedicated
worshippers, in which case it will be a feature of
their actions
3. Shukr al-'arifin- it is expressed through their
honest devotion to Allah in all their states and
conditions. Their worshipful obedience,
servitude, and remembrance of Allah is entirely
due to His enabling guidance [tawfiq], His
gracious favor, His help, His power and His
strength

29. Common and special gratitude
1. "The thankfulness of the common folk [shukr al-'amma]
is for food and drink and clothing
2. Thankfulness of the elite [shukr al-khawass] is for the
spiritual values [ma'ani] conferred upon their hearts.“
Prophet David (peace be upon him) once said:
"My God [Ilahi], how can I thank You, when my thankfulness
to You [shukri la-ka] is itself a blessing from among Your
gracious favors [ni'ma min ni'ami-ka]?"
So Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) conveyed to him by way
of inspiration : "Now you have thanked Me indeed!
[al-ana qad shakarta-ni]."

30. Levels of Shukr
• Level 1- Make shukr in ease and comfort. It is
Allah's mercy that He considers this shukr .
(Manaazil-us-Saa'ireen by Al Harawi)
• Level 2-Make shukr even when in difficulty.
There are 2 types of people in it:
1. Find pleasure in difficulty or Rada of Allah
2. Comfort makes them happy, they find no
pleasure in difficulty. They make shukr in
difficulty also because of respect Allah.
Ibn al Qayyim

31. How to Attain the Highest Level of
Shukr?
• 1. Constant awareness of the fact that we are the
slaves of Allah so that, considering the lowness of
us slaves and the greatness of the Master, we will
never under-estimate His bounties on us.
• 2. Constant love for Allah so that, considering
that all our conditions – good and bad – are the
decision of Allah and the decision of the beloved
is always pleasing, we will find as much pleasure
in difficulty as we find in ease

32. Difference between Shakir and Shakur
SHAKIR SHAKUR
Simple adjective (thankful and grateful) Intensive [very thankful; most grateful;
extremely appreciative].
Gives thanks for what is available Gives thanks for what is
[Mawjud) unavailable [Mafqud].
Gives thanks in response to Gives thanks when delivery is
immediate delivery [badhl] subject to deferment [matl].
Gives thanks for the provision of Gives thanks for the withholding of
benefit [Naf'] benefit [Man'].
Gives thanks for the granting of Gives thanks for trial and
gifts *‘Ata'+, tribulation [Bala'].

33. Benefits of Shukr
1- Helps us focus our minds on Allah-
“And whatever of blessings and good things
you have, it is from Allah” *al-Nahl 16:53]
• Life’s distractions and attractions make difficult
to focus on Allah.
• Gratitude reminds us that everything that
happens to us is from Allah.

34. 2-Gratitude helps in warding off
punishment from Allah
Why should Allah punish you if you have thanked (Him) and
have believed in Him.And Allah is Ever All-Appreciative (of
good), All-Knowing. An-Nisa, Verse #147)
We know that if Allah were to punish us for our negligence,
He would be justified for it.
Allah provides us a way to escape that punishment by being
thankful to Him.

35. 3-Gratitude helps us to enjoy what we
have and not have greed for more
• 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)…”
(Reported by Ahmad, 5/219; Saheeh al-Jaami’,
1781)
• Gratitude is a sense of fulfillment that comes
from a sense of knowing that Allah has already
blessed us with what we need

36. 4-Gratitude trains our minds to focus
on the right things in life
• Gratitude motivates us to find possibilities
and solutions and not the negatives
associated with problems
• When we let our minds look for problems, we
see plenty of them
• If we rather look away from problems and
focus on possibilities and go for solutions, we
will get those too

37. 5-Gratitude helps us recognize other
people’s favors to us
• The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said as
narrated by Abu Hurairah: “He who does not thank
people, does not thank Allah” (Ahmad, Tirmidhi).
• He also said: “Whoever does you a favor, then
reciprocate, and if you cannot find anything with which
to reciprocate, then pray for him until you think that
you have reciprocated him” Abu Dawood (1672).
• In another hadith, he said: “Whoever has a favor done
for him and says to the one who did it, ‘Jazak Allahu
khayran,’ has done enough to thank him” [ Saheeh al-
Tirmidhi].

38. 6-Gratitude trains us to seek personal
fulfillment with less
• Gratitude helps us to be patient, accepting of
life’s trials
• It makes us “low maintenance” in our demands
and expectations.
• This trait reduces our burden on those around
us,
• It makes our company more pleasing to others
instead of leaving us always unhappy, more
demanding, and impossible to please because of
unending requirements.

39. 7-Gratitude helps increase one’s
blessings.
And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: ‘If you give
thanks (by accepting Faith and worshipping none but
Allah), I will give you more (of My Blessings); but if you
are thankless, verily, My punishment is indeed severe.
[Ibrahim 14:7]
Let’s, therefore, make thanking Allah part of
morning and evening remembrances (azkars) to
get more of Allah’s blessings in our lives.

40. 8-Gratitude helps us to get the
pleasure of Allah in the hereafter
• Abul-Abbaas al-Qurtubi said: “. . . gratitude for blessings – even if
they are few – is a means of attaining the pleasure of Allah, may He
be exalted, which is the noblest situation of the people of Paradise.
• When the people of Paradise say, “You (Allah) have given to us what
You have not given to anyone among Your creation,”
• Allah will say to them: “Shall I not give you something better than
that?”
• They will say, “What is it? Have You not brightened our faces, and
admitted us to Paradise and saved us from Hell?”
• Allah will say, “I bestow My pleasure (RIDWAN) upon you, and I will
never be angry with you after that.”
[Al-Mufhim lima ashkala min Talkhees Kitaab Muslim (7/60, 61)].

41. Dua
Prophet took the hand of Mu’aadh ibn Jabal and said:
“O Mu’aadh, by Allah I love you, by Allah I love you.”
Then he said, “I advise you, O Mu’aadh, do not fail to
say this after every prayer:
O Allah help me to remember You, to thank You
and to worship You properly.