What is thankfulness (shukr)?
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Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Could you please explain the Islamic understanding of thankfulness (shukr),
please?
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah,
I pray that this finds you well, and in the best of health and spirits. May
Allah grant you all good and success in this life and the next.
Thankfulness is central to faith. In fact, it has been related that, "Faith
has two halves: one half is patience (sabr); and the other half is thankfulness
(shukr)." [Suyuti, al-Jami` al-Saghir]
The scholars have defined thankfulness as: "Directing every blessing
towards that which it was created for." [Bajuri, Tuhfat al-Murid `ala Jawharat
al-Tawhid]
Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) said that, "The reality of
thankfulness is to obey Allah with all your limbs, in private and in public."
The scholars mention three levels of thankfulness:
[1] Not to disobey Allah with His blessings.
[2] To use His blessings for the good.
[3] To use each blessing for the best of what it was created, in the best and
most beneficial of ways.
And Allah alone gives success.
saiyed shahbazi
www.shahbazcenter.org
