On true thankfulness...

[The Prophet] David (peace be upon him) once said:

"My God, how can I thank You, when my thankfulness to You is itself a blessing from among Your gracious favors?"

So Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) conveyed to him by way of inspiration: "Now you have thanked Me indeed!"


- Sheikh Abdul-Qadir al-Jilani (ra)


Too often, we look for Allah's blessings in the the form of reward, i.e. the products or outcomes of good deeds. What we too often fail to appreciate is that the real gifts of Allah are in being given the opportunity and means to do good. For example, rather than focusing on the reward we hope to receive by performing a good deed, we often overlook the fact that it is Allah who facilitated the entire situation to begin with! Thus, the real gift lies is in the desire, knowledge, opportunity and ability that we have been given to perform the act. When we are able to see in this manner, then gratitude to Allah takes on a new form: I don't hope for reward from fasting, but am grateful for even being given the opportunity and ability to fast; I don't hope for reward in praying, but am overwhelmed with gratitude and humility in being chosen by Allah to have the honor of bowing down to Him five times a day; I do not perform a service in hope of reward, but am awe-struck when I receive inspiration - seemingly from out of nowhere - to even want to do something good for someone. Thus, by being grateful for being given the opportunity to serve Allah is -- according to the great Sheikh -- the greater gratitude, if you will, that we should be striving and hoping for, insya-Allah...