Page 25 - Pakistan Link - November 19, 2021

RELIGION NOVEMBER 19, 2021 – PAKISTAN LINK – P25
Thanksgiving in Islam Gems from the

Holy Qur’an

n By Dr Muzammil H. Siddiqi

Then do ye remember Me; I will
remember you. Be grateful to Me and
reject not Faith.
(Al-Baqarah 2:152)
We bestowed Wisdom on Luq-
man: “Show (thy) gratitude to Allah.”
Any who is (so) grateful does so to
the profit of his own
soul; but if any is un-
grateful, verily Allah
is free of all wants,
worthy of all praise.
(Luqman 31:12)
The Qur’anic
word for thanks is
“shukr.” It is mentioned in the Qur’an From the translation by
many times. Shukr is not only the way Muhammad Asad (Leopold Weiss)
of good human beings; according to
the Qur’an it is also the way of our About the translator:
Lord, our Creator. Allah loves thanks Muhammad Asad, Leopold
and thankful attitude and He says Weiss, was born of Jewish parents in
that He Himself is the most Thank- Livow, Austria (later Poland) in 1900,
ful and Grateful Being. Four times in and at the age of 22 made his first vis-
the Qur’an Allah is called “Shakur” it to the Middle East. He later became
(35:30,34; 42:23; 64:17) which means an outstanding foreign correspon-
“Most Grateful.” According to schol- dent for the Franfurter Zeitung, and
ars Shukr means: after years of devoted study, became
“It is the consideration of the one of the leading Muslim scholars of
favor and its acknowledgment. Shukr our age. His translation of the Holy
from the human means the recogni- Qur’an is one of the most lucid and
tion of the favor. Shukr from Allah well-referenced works in this cat-
means the reward and appreciation.” egory, dedicated to “li-qawmin yata-
Shukr is a very important prin- fakkaroon” (people who think). For-
ciple in Islam. It is a quality of the be- warded by Dr Ismat Kamal.
lievers and it is a source of all good-
ness. Shukr is used in the Qur’an Chapter 83, Al-Mutaffifiin,
sometimes as equivalent to faith. only in happy times; it should be also not only as duties; we should do them When we eat, he told us that we Verses 1-6
The faithful are thankful people and in difficult times. Someone may say with an attitude of thankfulness and should say: Woe unto those who give short
the unfaithful are ungrateful people. how a person can be thankful when gratitude to our Lord and Creator. When the Prophet – peace be measure: those who, when they are
Allah has described His Prophets he/she is in distress, difficulty, suf- We should never forget that we are upon him - used to eat or drink, he to receive their due from [other]
and Messengers among those who fering and pain. We must, however, constantly under Allah’s favors and used to say, “Thanks be to Allah Who people, demand that it be given in
were thankful people. Prophet Noah know that Shukr can change the dif- full – but when they have to measure
was a grateful servant of Allah (Al- ficulty. It certainly lightens the bur- We should be thankful to our parents. We or weigh whatever they owe to oth-
Isra’ 17:3). Prophet Abraham used to dens of pain. ers, give less than what is due! [1]
thank Allah for His many blessings In Islam thanksgiving has two should obey them, serve them and take good Do they not know that they are
(Al-Nahl 16:121). Prophet David and aspects: thankfulness to Allah and bound to be raised from the dead
his family were told to be grateful to thankfulness to human beings. care of them when they need our help. We [and called to account] on an awe-
Allah (Saba’ 34:13). Allah told His Thankfulness is not only a ceremony should thank our brothers and sisters, our some Day – the Day when all men
Prophet Muhammad: or festival; it is the whole life. The shall stand before the Sustainer of all
Nay, but worship Allah, and be whole life should be lived in thank- relatives. We should thank our neighbors, the worlds?
of those who give thanks. (Al-Zumar fulness to Allah who is our Ultimate
39:66) Benefactor. We should also express coworkers, employers and employees. We Chapter 84, Al-Inshiqaaq,
Thankfulness creates many pos- our gratitude to many others from depend on others and we owe many things to Verses 16-21
itive qualities in life. It makes a per- whom we receive benefits and ser- But nay! I call to witness the
son happy, contented, hopeful and vices. others. We must show our gratitude to every sunset’s [fleeting] afterglow, and the
optimistic. Thankfulness takes away Allah has been good to us and night, and what it [step by step] un-
hate, anger, grudges and jealousy. so in our thankfulness we should person in caring and thoughtful ways. folds, and the moon, as it grows to
Give thanks to someone and you will worship Him and obey His com- its fullness: [2] [even thus, O men,]
always see a smile in return. Thank- mands and orders. Our daily prayers, are you bound to move onward from
fulness makes strangers friends; it our fasting during Ramadan, our blessings. The Prophet – peace and gave us food and drink and made us stage to stage. [3]
can win even the hearts of the en- Zakat and our Hajj are all our acts blessings of Allah be upon him - was Muslims.” (Al-Tirmidhi 3379) What, then, is amiss with them
emies. Thankfulness should not be of thanksgiving. We should do them the most grateful servant of Allah. When we put on our clothes, that they will not believe [ in a life
He taught us to we should say: to come]? [4] – and [that], when the
remember Allah Whenever the Prophet – peace Qur’an is read unto them, they do
and give thanks be upon him - put on any new dress, not fall down in prostration?
to Him all the he would say its name ‘Amamah or ______________________
times. He told us shirt or shawl, then he would say, “O Translator’s Notes
that when we get Allah, Thanks be to You, You gave [1] This passage does not, of
up in the morn- me this to wear. I ask You to give me course refer only to commercial deal-
ing we should the good of this dress and the good ings but touches upon every aspect
say: for which it is made and I ask You to of social relations, both practical and
When the protect me from the evil of this dress moral, applying to every individual’s
Prophet – peace and from the evil of that for which it rights and obligations no less than to
be upon him is made.” (Al-Tirmidhi 1689) his physical possessions.
- used to go to The Prophet – peace be upon [2] Thus God “calls to witness”
bed, he used to him - also said: “Those who do not the fact that nothing in His creation
say, “In your thank people, they do not thank Al- is ever at a standstill, since everything
name I die and I lah.” (Al-Tirmidhi 1878) moves unceasingly from one state of
live.” And when We should be thankful to our being into another, at every moment
he used to wake parents. We should obey them, changing its aspect and its condition:
up, he used to serve them and take good care of a phenomenon aptly described by
say, “Thanks be them when they need our help. We the Greek philosopher Heraclitus by
to Allah who should thank our brothers and sis- the phrase panta rhei (“everything is
brought us to life ters, our relatives. We should thank in flux”).
after he made our neighbors, coworkers, employ- [3] Or: “from one state to an-
us to die and to ers and employees. We depend on other (ref. ZamaKhsharii): i.e., in an
Him is the res- others and we owe many things to unceasing progression – conception,
urrection.” (Al- others. We must show our gratitude birth, growth, decline, death and, fi-
Bukhari, 5837) to every person in thoughtful ways. GEMS, P28
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