This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Abu Hamza Abdul Khaliq Siddiqi's book Sahih Fazail-e-Amaal.
Allah, the Great and Supreme, has bestowed countless favors upon mankind. It is required to thank Allah, the true Benefactor. The predecessors said:
شكر المنعم واجب
It is obligatory to thank the true Benefactor.
Allah Almighty commanded His servants to give thanks with these words:
﴿فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لِي وَلَا تَكْفُرُونِ﴾
So remember Me; I will remember you. And be grateful to Me and do not deny Me.
Reference: (2-Al-Baqarah:152)
The following verse mentions a journey of Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him), when he set out with an organized and arranged army consisting of jinn, humans, and birds. On the way, they passed through a valley inhabited by ants. One ant, seeing this mighty army, said to the others, "Enter your dwellings quickly, lest Solomon and his army unknowingly crush you." Upon hearing this, Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him) smiled and, thanking Allah, prayed:
﴿رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِي أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ وَعَلَىٰ وَالِدَيَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَالِحًا تَرْضَاهُ وَأَدْخِلْنِي بِرَحْمَتِكَ فِي عِبَادِكَ الصَّالِحِينَ﴾
"My Lord! Grant me the ability to be grateful for the favors You have bestowed upon me and my parents, and to do righteous deeds that please You, and include me among Your righteous servants by Your mercy."
Reference: (27-An-Naml:19)
Allama Shawkani (may Allah have mercy on him) writes in the commentary of this verse that "Being grateful to one's parents is like being grateful to a person, so he asked for the ability to thank Allah for them as well, and wished that along with worldly blessings, Allah would also grant them religious blessings, hence he asked for the ability to perform righteous deeds. And the ultimate goal of a believing man is success in the Hereafter, so he prayed that Allah include them among His righteous servants on the Day of Judgment.
Here, Allama Shawkani (may Allah have mercy on him) prayed for himself, saying: O my Allah! I also ask You for what Your Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him) asked from You, so accept my prayer and bestow Your grace upon me, although I am deficient in deeds, but the reason for attaining Paradise is only Your favor and generosity."
Reference: Fath al-Qadeer: 295/2.
We, helpless and sinful servants, also raise our hands before Allah, the Most Merciful of the merciful, the Compassionate and the Merciful, and pray: Our Lord! We also ask You for Your pleasure and the ability to do righteous deeds, and O Generous Master! With great humility and submission, we prostrate before You and pray that on the Day of Judgment, include us among Your righteous by Your grace and kindness, and grant our parents, our brothers and sisters, our wives, our children, and our friends a place under Your mercy and kindness. Ameen!
Whoever thanks Allah and believes sincerely, Allah grants him the best reward. Allah Almighty said:
﴿مَّا يَفْعَلُ اللَّهُ بِعَذَابِكُمْ إِن شَكَرْتُمْ وَآمَنتُمْ ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ شَاكِرًا عَلِيمًا﴾
What would Allah do with your punishment if you are grateful and believe? And Allah is Appreciative and Knowing.
Reference: (4-An-Nisa:147)
If someone sincerely believes in the blessings given by Allah, the true Benefactor, and thanks Him through righteous deeds, He increases their provision and honors them in this world. The Quran mentions that Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) also said to his people:
﴿وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِي لَشَدِيدٌ﴾
And when your Lord proclaimed: If you give thanks, I will surely increase you; but if you are ungrateful, indeed, My punishment is severe.
Reference: (14-Ibrahim:7)
Allah Almighty commanded the Master of the Children of Adam, the Leader of the Two Worlds, Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), to declare Allah’s greatness by saying that He alone is worthy of all praise and there is no partner in His dominion over the two worlds, nor is there any guardian or helper for this One due to weakness or incapacity:
﴿وَقُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي لَمْ يَتَّخِذْ وَلَدًا وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ شَرِيكٌ فِي الْمُلْكِ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ وَلِيٌّ مِّنَ الذُّلِّ ۖ وَكَبِّرْهُ تَكْبِيرًا ﴾
And say, "All praise is due to Allah, who does not take a son and has no partner in His dominion, nor is He in need of a protector because of weakness." And proclaim His greatness fully.
Reference: (17-Al-Isra:111)
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
إذا مات ولد العبد ، قال الله لملائكته : قبضتم ولد عبدي! فيقولون: نعم فيقول: قبضتم ثمرة فواده! فيقولون: نعم فيقول : فماذا قال عبدي؟ فيقولون: حمدك واسترجع . فيقول الله : ابنوا لعبدي بيتا فى الجنة ، وسموه بيت الحمد
When the child of a servant dies, Allah commands His angels: Have you taken the soul of My servant’s child? They say: Yes. Then Allah says: Have you taken the fruit of his heart? They say: Yes. Then Allah says: What did My servant say? They say: He praised You and recited __ARABIC_7. So Allah says: Build a house for My servant in Paradise and name it ARABIC_8__.
Reference: Sunan Tirmidhi, Chapters on Funerals, Chapter on the Virtue of Patience in Calamity, No: 1021 - Sahih Series, No: 1408.
Sayyiduna Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever eats food and then says these words:
الحمد لله الذى أطعمني هذا ورزقني من غير حول مني ولا قوة
All praise is due to Allah who fed me and provided me with sustenance without any power or might from myself,
all his sins are forgiven.
Reference: Sahih Sunan Tirmidhi, Book of Supplications, Chapter on What to Say After Finishing Food, No: 3458. Sunan Ibn Majah, No: 3285.
Saying "Alhamdulillah," praising Allah, is the best supplication. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
أفضل الدعاء الحمد لله
The best supplication is the word "Alhamdulillah."
Reference: Sunan Tirmidhi, Book of Supplications, No: 3383. Sunan Ibn Majah, No: 3800.
Al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) graded it as "Hasan."The blessed personality of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is a role model and the best example for us. It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the noble Prophet, the Seal of the Prophets, the Imam of the Prophets, the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to:
إذا جاءه أمر سرور أو يسر به خر ساجدا ، شاكر الله تعالى
When something pleasing came to him, he would prostrate in gratitude to Allah.
Reference: Sunan Abu Dawood, Chapter on Prostration of Thanks, No: 2774 -
Al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) declared it "Sahih."Then in prayer, he would stand, bow, and prostrate for such long periods that his feet would swell. So Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) asked: O beloved Messenger of Allah! Allah has forgiven your past and future sins, so why do you endure such hardship? He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "Should I not be a grateful servant of Allah?"
Reference: Sahih Bukhari, Book of Tafsir, No: 4837 - Sahih Muslim, Book of Repentance, No: 7126.
This manner of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was in fact the interpretation of those verses in which Allah, the Lord of Glory, commanded him to worship Allah alone and to be grateful for the blessings of monotheism, prophethood, and invitation and mission:
﴿بَلِ اللَّهَ فَاعْبُدْ وَكُن مِّنَ الشَّاكِرِينَ﴾
But worship Allah and be among the grateful servants.
Reference: (39-Az-Zumar:66)
