1؎: That is, one who is not grateful to Allah’s servants for any blessing received through them—even though Allah has commanded this—how can it be expected that such a person will be a grateful servant to Allah? Or its meaning is that Allah, the Exalted, will not accept a servant’s gratitude for the favor He has bestowed upon him until the servant expresses gratitude for the favors of people.
Explanation & Benefits
Shaykh Dr. Abdur Rahman Freywai
Explanation: 1: That is, whoever does not show gratitude to Allah’s servants for any blessing received through them—even though Allah has commanded this—then how can it be expected that such a person will be grateful to Allah? Or its meaning is that Allah, the Exalted, will not accept a servant’s gratitude for the favor which Allah has bestowed upon him until the servant expresses gratitude for the favors of people.
Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhi – Majlis ‘Ilmi Dar al-Da‘wah, New Delhi Edition, Page: 1954
Narrated Abu Hurairah: The Prophet ﷺ said: He who does not thank Allah does not thank people.
Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi
Benefits and Issues: Expressing gratitude for people’s good conduct and kindness is evidence of a person’s good character. Whereas gratitude to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, is a part of worship and servitude. The kindness that people show you is, in reality, done only by the disposition of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic; therefore, true gratitude is the exclusive right of the Lord, Exalted is He. However, by nature, expressing appreciation to people for their kindness is also necessarily legislated and a Sunnah.
Source: Sunan Abu Dawood – Commentary by Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi, Page: 4811