A sermon on blessings and the obligation to be grateful for them.
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The Shaykh : All praise is due to Allah; we praise Him, seek His help, and seek His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our own souls and from the evil of our deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides, none can misguide, and whomsoever He leaves to misguide, none can guide. I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah alone, with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger. Allah the Exalted sent him with guidance and the religion of truth, so he conveyed the message, fulfilled the trust, and advised the nation. He struggled in the cause of Allah with true struggle. May the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
As for what follows: O people, fear Allah the Exalted and be grateful to Him for the abundant and plentiful blessings He has bestowed upon you: blessings in this world and blessings in the Hereafter:[An-Nahl 16:18].
These numerous blessings that Allah has bestowed upon you, especially in this land, praise be to Allah, demand great gratitude from the One who granted and gave them. When a person is grateful to his Lord for His blessings, He increases them for him and increases his steadfastness in the religion of Allah. Indeed, Allah the Exalted said:[Ibrahim 14:7].
Being grateful for the blessing of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is to carry out the obedience of the Bestower: doing what He has commanded you to do and leaving what He has forbidden you from doing. The disobedient one is not grateful for the blessing of Allah, even if he thanks Allah with his tongue.
What benefit is there in a person thanking Allah with his tongue while he persists in the disobedience of Allah?
Does not the one who thanks Allah with his tongue while persisting in His disobedience fear that it will be said to him: You have lied. You are not a grateful person. You are not grateful to Allah with true gratitude.
O Muslims, the greatest blessing from Allah that He has bestowed upon you is that He guided you to faith and Islam. There were people who stumbled in their religion, either those who were angry with, who knew the truth but were arrogant about it, or those who were astray, who did not know the truth and were blind to it.
And among the blessings of Allah upon you in this land is this security and stability. Many lands have been afflicted with fear, anxiety, war, and fighting, which you hear morning and evening from nearby and distant broadcasts. And among the blessings of Allah upon you is what Allah has facilitated for you of the various types of sustenance, which comes to you in abundance from every place, near or far. Among the children of Adam are those who cannot obtain a morsel of food except with great effort, and perhaps they die from hunger and scarcity. Among the children of Adam are those who cannot obtain a drink of water, and perhaps they perish from thirst.
O Muslims, remember this blessing. Reflect on it for a moment: Who is it that gave it?
The One who gave it is your Lord, Mighty and Majestic. So know His blessing upon you and be grateful to Him.
O Muslims, among the blessings of Allah upon you is what He has brought out for you from the fruits of the date palms and the grapevines: fruits with which you enjoy yourselves fresh, and which you store as dates and raisins. So take a lesson from what Allah has placed in them of signs indicating His power, and the perfection of His wisdom and mercy, where He brought them out from these trunks and branches:[Ya-Sin 36:82].
He brought them out with different colors, different tastes, and different consistencies. And that is: to show you of His signs. Indeed, in that are signs for a people who are certain.
O Muslims, conduct the buying and selling of these fruits according to the ruling of Allah. Who is better than Allah in judgment for a people who are certain?
O Muslims, conduct all transactions...
As for what follows: O people, fear Allah the Exalted and be grateful to Him for the abundant and plentiful blessings He has bestowed upon you: blessings in this world and blessings in the Hereafter:
And if you should count the favors of Allah, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
وَإِنْ تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَا إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌThese numerous blessings that Allah has bestowed upon you, especially in this land, praise be to Allah, demand great gratitude from the One who granted and gave them. When a person is grateful to his Lord for His blessings, He increases them for him and increases his steadfastness in the religion of Allah. Indeed, Allah the Exalted said:
And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.' "
وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِنْ شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ وَلَئِنْ كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِي لَشَدِيدٌBeing grateful for the blessing of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is to carry out the obedience of the Bestower: doing what He has commanded you to do and leaving what He has forbidden you from doing. The disobedient one is not grateful for the blessing of Allah, even if he thanks Allah with his tongue.
What benefit is there in a person thanking Allah with his tongue while he persists in the disobedience of Allah?
Does not the one who thanks Allah with his tongue while persisting in His disobedience fear that it will be said to him: You have lied. You are not a grateful person. You are not grateful to Allah with true gratitude.
O Muslims, the greatest blessing from Allah that He has bestowed upon you is that He guided you to faith and Islam. There were people who stumbled in their religion, either those who were angry with, who knew the truth but were arrogant about it, or those who were astray, who did not know the truth and were blind to it.
And among the blessings of Allah upon you in this land is this security and stability. Many lands have been afflicted with fear, anxiety, war, and fighting, which you hear morning and evening from nearby and distant broadcasts. And among the blessings of Allah upon you is what Allah has facilitated for you of the various types of sustenance, which comes to you in abundance from every place, near or far. Among the children of Adam are those who cannot obtain a morsel of food except with great effort, and perhaps they die from hunger and scarcity. Among the children of Adam are those who cannot obtain a drink of water, and perhaps they perish from thirst.
O Muslims, remember this blessing. Reflect on it for a moment: Who is it that gave it?
The One who gave it is your Lord, Mighty and Majestic. So know His blessing upon you and be grateful to Him.
O Muslims, among the blessings of Allah upon you is what He has brought out for you from the fruits of the date palms and the grapevines: fruits with which you enjoy yourselves fresh, and which you store as dates and raisins. So take a lesson from what Allah has placed in them of signs indicating His power, and the perfection of His wisdom and mercy, where He brought them out from these trunks and branches:
His command is only when He intends a thing that He says to it, "Be," and it is.
إِنَّمَا أَمْرُهُ إِذَا أَرَادَ شَيْئًا أَنْ يَقُولَ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُHe brought them out with different colors, different tastes, and different consistencies. And that is: to show you of His signs. Indeed, in that are signs for a people who are certain.
O Muslims, conduct the buying and selling of these fruits according to the ruling of Allah. Who is better than Allah in judgment for a people who are certain?
O Muslims, conduct all transactions...