Page 59 - The Basic Concepts in the Qur’an

Gratefulness is also closely related to requital in the hereafter. No punishment shall befall
those who have faith and are grateful:
What can Allah gain by your punishment, if you are grateful and you believe? Indeed,
it is Allah who recognizes all good, and knows all things.
(An-Nisa, 147)

This verse, together with many others, gives the good tidings that Allah rewards those who
remain grateful to their Creator:
And remember! Your Lord caused to be declared (publicly): “If you are grateful, I will
increase My favours to you. But if you show ingratitude, truly, My punishment is
terrible indeed.”
(Abraham, 7)

That is the bounty of which Allah gives glad tidings to His servants who believe and
do righteous deeds. Say: “No reward do I ask of you for this except the love of those
near of kin.” He who does a good deed shall be paid many times over: for Allah is
Oft-Forgiving, Most Ready to appreciate (service).
(Ash-Shura, 23)

The people of Lut rejected (his) warning. We sent against them a violent tornado with
showers of stones, which destroyed all of them, except Lut’s household, whom We
delivered by early dawn,— through Our mercy. Thus do We reward those who give
thanks.
(Al-Qamar, 33-35)

“If you counted up the favours of Allah, you would never be able to number them: for
Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Al-Nahl, 18) As this verse suggests, let alone counting
up the favours of Allah,it is not conceivable even to categorize them. Since there is no limit to
the favours of Allah, a believer should unceasingly keep himself occupied with the
remembrance of Allah and express his gratefulness to Him.
In expectation of some very great favor, some people wait for special occasions to render
their thanks to Allah. Settlement of a major problem, or recovering from a serious sickness are
the proper times to express one’s inner gratefulness to Allah, they assume. However, if one
reflected only for a moment, one would instantly comprehend that he is always surrounded
with infinite favours. At every moment, every minute, there is an uninterrupted flow of favours:
life, good health, intelligence, consciousness, the five senses, the air that one breaths, in brief,
everything that makes life possible is given to one by the grace of Allah. In return for all these,
the individual is expected to serve Allah in gratitude. Those who are heedless of these favours
and accordingly neglect to turn to Allah in order to express their gratefulness, acknowledge
their importance only when they are deprived of them.
The Qur’an enjoins careful attention to the favours of Allah and repeatedly reminds us of
those we tend to forget. Whole volumes would surely be insufficient to name all the blessings
of Allah. Allah fashioned man into a man, He endowed him with five senses thus enabling him
to perceive the world around him, guided him to the true path through His Book and
Messenger, provided an explanation of the scriptures, desired no hardship for His servants,
saved them from the oppression of unbelievers, made their habitations havens of rest and quiet
for them, created fresh water, an abundant variety of food, sea- products, ships sailing night and
day for the benefit of mankind.