Continuation of the previous benefits.

And in it is evidence of the virtue of Dawud and Sulayman as well, from the perspective of their acknowledgment of Allah’s blessing and their gratitude for it, as He said...
The student: ....

The Shaykh : No. We mentioned it from one angle, and this is from another angle, which is their standing in gratitude for Allah’s blessing. [Surah al-Naml: 15] They did not say: “We were given this because of our knowledge, or because we are intelligent,” or anything similar to that.
They said: [Surah al-Naml: 15].
And in this is also evidence that gratitude is expressed by speech, just as it is by action, and also by belief—by conviction. So gratitude has three places: the heart, the tongue, and the limbs.
The poet said:
The blessings have given me three things from me:
My hand, my tongue, and the hidden conscience.

The evidence for this is that gratitude is in three places. Here, regarding the tongue, it is said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked: “How do you do this?” He used to stand in prayer until his feet would swell, and Allah had already forgiven him what came before of his sin and what came after. So he said: He made the action a form of gratitude to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). And He the Exalted said: [Surah Saba: 13].
As for acknowledging blessings with the heart, that is part of gratitude. What is the evidence? His saying, the Exalted: [Surah al-Nahl: 53].
This news is what Allah wants us to believe. For this reason, Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) criticized those who attributed His blessing to themselves. Is that not so? What did He say about Qarun? And He said about Qarun: [Surah al-Qasas: 78].
So Allah the Exalted said: [Surah al-Qasas: 78].
And in this matter, few people fulfill all three places of gratitude. For example, some people rely on the cause for bringing the blessing to them and attribute the effect. Do you understand?
That is, when a person gives someone one of their needs, you find that the gratitude in his heart for this giver is greater than his gratitude to Allah. You find that he praises this person more than he praises Allah. You find that he serves this person more than he serves Allah.
Even though the one through whom the blessing reached you is merely a path to deliver it to you. Otherwise, the One who placed in his heart the intention to deliver this blessing to you is Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), and it is He who facilitated this.
So the result is: that most people, or the majority of them, today fall short in the station of gratitude, either in the heart, the tongue, or the limbs.
And in the verse is evidence that it is prescribed for a person, when Allah bestows a blessing upon him, to praise Him for it, and texts have come regarding this.
So when you finish eating and drinking, you say: Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah). When you wake up, you praise Allah. When you put on a garment, you praise Allah... and so on. And this is among the prescribed matters: praising Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) for His blessings.
And in the verse is evidence of the humility of Dawud and Sulayman and their knowledge of the truth, as He said: [Surah al-Naml: 15] He did not mention absolute preference over all believers. [Surah al-Naml: 15] Can it be inferred from this that the prophets are described with faith?
The student: ....

The Shaykh : No, I mean: Does His saying: [Surah al-Naml: 15] imply that they are among the believers?
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : The apparent meaning is that it implies this, meaning: that we shared with them in the description of faith, and we preferred Allah over many of them.
And in the verse is also evidence that if a person sees that he is better than others by Allah’s blessing upon him, this does not contradict humility. That is, when you feel that Allah has blessed you with wealth and preferred you over this person, does that mean you became arrogant and haughty? No, rather, you cannot perceive Allah’s blessing upon you until you know its opposite in others. You cannot know this except if you know its opposite.
If you see, for example, a person afflicted in his body, and Allah the Exalted has kept you safe, you know the favor of Allah’s blessing, so you say: Praise be to Allah who kept me safe from what He afflicted him with and preferred me over him.
When you see an ignorant person and Allah has blessed you with knowledge, likewise you see the favor of Allah’s blessing upon you with this. And this is not considered arrogance or looking down on others. For this reason, He said: [Surah al-Naml: 15] And this may appear to a person that if he sees his preference over others by what Allah has bestowed upon him, it may appear to him that this is a blameworthy matter, and that it includes arrogance and looking down on others, but that is not the case.
The student: ......

The Shaykh : Yes. And in it is also this benefit, and that speaking about it is part of gratitude.
From this is derived the benefit mentioned by Yusuf: the permissibility of speaking about Allah’s blessing, but not in the way of boasting or elevating oneself above others. For this reason, it came in the hadith from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: .
So if a person speaks about Allah’s blessing without boasting about it, there is no harm in that. Rather, it may be prescribed, because it is praise of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) for what He has bestowed upon him.