To be Grateful to Allah SWT

This world is so full of blessings and there is so much happiness around us. It is our perspective which makes us see opportunities in every test and test in every opportunity. It is always upon us to be happy or to be sad. It is just like travelling on a road which has mountains on one side and abyss on the other. Now, a person may find thousand reasons to never travel on that road. But there are some people who tend to be grateful to Allah swt and find happiness in everything big or small that comes their way.

Allah swt say in Quran;

[002:152] You remember Me, and I shall remember you! Offer your thanks to Me, and do not (ever) be ungrateful!

Allah swt tell us that if we remember Him, He will remember us. It means that if we remember Him in every situation, In every big and small thing, He will remember us as well. Along with this, Allah swt want that we should be grateful to him. Normally, people take gratefulness as thankfulness. These are to different terms with two very different meanings. We are thankful when we are happy for getting something. While we are grateful when we appreciate something.  This difference is explained by Allah swt in the following verse;

[011:009] When We deprive man of Our blessing after first having him taste it for a while, he turns blue, becomes ungrateful and loses all hope. 

In times of happiness ans ease, we all feel good. We all thank Allah, our creator for having all those blessings. But when something goes away, that is the time when our love for Allah swt is tested. While not having anything around us, if we can still see the blessings that still surround us is the real faith. Prophet Ayub AS is famous for His patience. He had many blessings of Allah swt and he always was grateful. When Allah swt took his blessings away from him, he still chose to be grateful.  Even when every one left, him and his even his health was deteriorated to great extent, he never uttered a word of ungratefulness. Why? It is because he has this un shattering trust in Allah swt which kept him on the straight path. How many of us thank Allah and be patient when a hardship befalls us? Allah swt say in Quran about this attitude of man;

[017:067] When trouble strikes you at sea, all those you invoke except Him, vanish (from your consciousness). And when He rescues you (and leads you) back to shore, you again turn away! Man is most ungrateful! 

This is the attitude of man. When we are at problem, we want so badly to get out of it that we invoke Allah. As soon as we get out of the trouble, we forget Him. We forget that it is His decision to put us into whatever condition we are in. we forget that if we can invoke Him to get out of problems, then we should constantly invoke him even in easy times.

Prophet Muhammad pbuh is excellent example for all of us to be followed. He pbuh emphasised about gratefulness so much not only from his words but also from his actions. The following hadith shows this.

Sahih Muslim, Book 039, Number 6772:

Mughira b. Shu'ba reported that Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) worshipped so much that his feet were swollen. It was said to him: (Why do you undergo so much hardship despite the fact that) Allah has pardoned for you your earlier and later sins? Thereupon he said: May I not (prove myself) to be a grateful servant (of Allah)?

Thus, being grateful to Allah swt is not bounded by sins or good deeds. Its about our love and respect for Him. Through grateful attitude, we show our patience and contentment.