Is gratitude obligatory in its three categories?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Shaykh, we said that gratitude ... is threefold.
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : Gratitude means.
The Shaykh : Yes, the object of gratitude is threefold.
The questioner : Does this mean that its performance requires these three?
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : Does this mean that the performance of gratitude requires these three to be present together?
The Shaykh : Yes, yes, this is necessary. If a person expresses gratitude with his tongue but not with his actions, he has not given thanks. If he says, "I thank Allah and praise Allah, and praise be to Allah for His blessings," but he uses them to commit disobedience, where is the gratitude? I mentioned to you that Allah said to the messengers:[Al-Mu'minun 23:51] And He said regarding the believers: [Al-Baqarah 2:172] And the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2989Sahih (Darussalam) This means that righteous action is gratitude. Do you understand? Good.
If one relies on the cause for the attainment of blessings, is he a grateful person? No, because pure gratitude has not taken root in his heart. That is, many people, when a doctor treats them and they are cured of an illness, you find—may Allah grant us safety and well-being—you find that they love the doctor for this, perhaps more than they love Allah, because they focus on the cause and forget the One who causes. This is a very serious matter for a person. If Allah cures you through the hand of a person by recitation or treatment, say, "Praise be to Allah who cured me through the hand of this man," and thank this man to the extent of what he did as a cause, not that you forget Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Often a person is treated with the most potent medicines and by the most experienced doctors, and yet he is not cured, for healing is in the hand of Allah, and this is only a cause. Yes.
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : Gratitude means.
The Shaykh : Yes, the object of gratitude is threefold.
The questioner : Does this mean that its performance requires these three?
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : Does this mean that the performance of gratitude requires these three to be present together?
The Shaykh : Yes, yes, this is necessary. If a person expresses gratitude with his tongue but not with his actions, he has not given thanks. If he says, "I thank Allah and praise Allah, and praise be to Allah for His blessings," but he uses them to commit disobedience, where is the gratitude? I mentioned to you that Allah said to the messengers:
eat from the good foods and work righteousness
كلوا من الطيبات واعملوا صالحاeat from the good things which We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah
كلوا من طيبات ما رزقناكم واشكروا للهAnd indeed Allah ordered the believers with what He ordered the Messengers
إن الله أمر المؤمنين بما أمر به المرسلينIf one relies on the cause for the attainment of blessings, is he a grateful person? No, because pure gratitude has not taken root in his heart. That is, many people, when a doctor treats them and they are cured of an illness, you find—may Allah grant us safety and well-being—you find that they love the doctor for this, perhaps more than they love Allah, because they focus on the cause and forget the One who causes. This is a very serious matter for a person. If Allah cures you through the hand of a person by recitation or treatment, say, "Praise be to Allah who cured me through the hand of this man," and thank this man to the extent of what he did as a cause, not that you forget Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Often a person is treated with the most potent medicines and by the most experienced doctors, and yet he is not cured, for healing is in the hand of Allah, and this is only a cause. Yes.