The Power of Gratitude

As-salam alaikum my beautiful sis!

I hope this meets you in the best of iman and health in sha Allah

And ˹remember˺ when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will certainly give you more. But if you are ungrateful, surely My punishment is severe.’” (Qur’an 14:7)

In Tafsir ibn Kathir, this verse is explained thus:

(If you are grateful, I will certainly give you more;) meaning, `if you appreciate My favour on you, I will give you more of it,

(but if you are ungrateful) if you are not thankful for My favours, covering and denying them,

(verily, My punishment is indeed severe), by depriving you of the favour and punishing you for being unappreciative of it.’

In this verse, Allah is teaching us a powerful tool and concept: gratitude. Allah tells us that gratitude brings about more blessings from Him, and being ungrateful results in the removal of that blessing. It highlights the importance of truly being grateful and staying grateful.

Even non-Muslims have recognised gratitude as profound. Recent studies have shown that gratitude can foster better relationships, reduce stress and anxiety, trigger the release of happy hormones like dopamine and serotonin, improve health, and so much more. Gratitude brings about a state of inner peace and positive energy that radiates from within.

But what does it mean to be grateful? Is it just saying "alhamdulillah" without internalising it? Are our tongues grateful whilst our hearts remain ungrateful? What does a grateful heart look like? What does it experience?

A grateful heart feels content and at peace, rich and filled with satisfaction, and experiencing joy, peace, and love for Allah. It recognises Allah's numerous favours, not according to what it thinks is the greatest blessing but according to what Allah knows is the greatest blessing.

Gratitude looks like using the blessings Allah has given us for His sake, for His pleasure, and the good of the society around us. Being grateful for the knowledge Allah has given you looks like implementing and teaching that knowledge to others so they may benefit as well. Being grateful for the wealth Allah has given you looks like spending it on charity - including on your family. Being grateful for the family and friends Allah has given you looks like treating them kindly and appropriately in the manner Allah has legislated you to do. Being grateful for your home looks like taking care of it and keeping it clean. Being grateful for our sight looks like lowering our gaze from haram and watching only what pleases Allah.

Being grateful for the food we have looks like not taking too much at once so we don’t end up wasting it. Being grateful for the ideas Allah has given you to impact others (business ideas, goals, aspirations etc) looks like actually implementing them and striving to achieve them to the best of your abilities. The list is endless. True gratitude is shown through our actions, and that can only happen when our hearts truly internalise the favours of Allah upon us.

Sis, there’s one aspect we might often forget or overlook, and that is being grateful for ourselves. Yes, you are a gift from Allah too. Being grateful for yourself looks like taking care of your physical, mental, spiritual, and social needs. It is positively talking to yourself, not belittling your looks or your appearance because of societal standards. It is showing up as your authentic self because you realise your personality is rizq, it is a unique blessing none but you has. It is honouring your mind by feeding it with things that are pleasing to Allah, your body with food that is halal and that nourishes you, and your soul with Islam in its entirety. It is working on improving yourself because you’re grateful for the opportunity of being able to experience life as you.

Gratitude goes beyond your words. Empty words of "alhamdulillah" are not sufficient if our hearts do not feel the essence of it. If our hearts are displeased with Allah and His decree (may Allah protect us from this), we are not being grateful and that is displeasing to Allah. So, how can you truly be grateful? Start using Allah’s blessings for good in sha Allah. The more you start to do this, the more you’ll come to realise that you have so much to be grateful for. You’ll also realise that you can truly never thank Allah enough - it humbles you and grounds you. The more grateful you are, the greater the heights you’ll attain, in sha Allah.

When you are grateful, you are increased in greatness. You’re richer than the richest man on earth; not by the money in your bank account, but by what lies in your heart. Because true wealth sis, lies in being content and pleased with the decree of Allah. True wealth lies within.

Latifah.

Founder, Tifah & Co.