Which has Priority - Patience or Gratitude? (5/7)

Ahmad narrated that Wahb said: "I found in the Book of the sons of David (these words): "By My Glory, whoever holds firmly to Me I (ever) prepare a way out for him, even if the heavens and its residents and the earth and its residents plan against him. And whoever does not hold firmly to Me I deprive him of bounties, and cause the earth to sink down from below his feet and make him (suspend) in the air, then I make him put trust (only) in himself How sufficient it is for My servant that I be (the Sustainer of) his property; if My servant is obedient to Me, I give him before he asks, and answer him before he invokes Me, and I am certainly more knowing of what he needs than he (himself) is."

Ahmad also narrated that Thabit said: "David used to divide the hours of the night and the daytime between his family, that there was one of his Sons performing Prayers as every hour passed." Thabit added:

"Allah (Glory be to Him) gathers them, in mentioning, in the Verse reading:

 “Exercise thanks sons of David, but few of My servants are grateful!” (Surah Saba: 13)

Ibn Abud-Duniya narrated that Abul-khuld said:

"Moses (Peace be upon him) said: "O My Lord! How could I show You gratitude, while my whole work is not enough to match the gratitude deserved for the smallest of the favors You have bestowed upon me?" Abul-Khuld said: "Then Allah revealed to him saying: "O Moses! Now you have shown (the) gratitude (deserved) to Me."

Bakr Ibn 'Abdillah said: "Whenever a servant says, "Praise be to Allah", it becomes a must on him to show gratitude for guiding him to saying it by repeating it again. Continuing in this way, he never reaches full gratitude deserved for Allah's favors."

Al-Hasan said: "The Prophet (Peace be upon him) heard a man as saying: "Praise be to Allah for Islam." Thereupon he said to the man: "You are praising Allah for a great favor indeed!"

Sulayman At-Teiyami said: "Verily Allah (Glory be to Him) bestows favors on His servants in accordance with His capacity, but He commands them to thank Him in accordance with their capacity."

Al-Hasan reported that Moses (Peace be upon him) said: "O My Lord! How could Adam thank you perfectly for what You did for him, as you created Him with Your hands, breathed into him of Your spirit, let him dwell in Your Paradise, and made the Angels prostrate themselves before him?" Allah said: "O Moses! He knew that these (favors) were from Me and praised Me for them, and that was the gratitude deserved for what I had done for him"

Having relieved himself, 'Ali Ibn Abi Talib rubbed his belly with his hand and say: "What a great favor! But people do not show the gratitude deserved for it."

Anas Ibn Malik reported that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: "Favors, and good and bad deeds will be brought on the Day of Resurrection, and Allah will say to one of the favors: "Take your right. (It may be the right which he violated when he rejected to show gratitude for it (Translator) out of his good deeds." Then the favor takes all his good deeds.[1]

Ibn Abud-Duniya narrated that Sadaqah Ibn Yasar said: "As David (Peace be upon him) was in his chamber, a little ant passed by him. He looked at it contemplating and wondering at its creation and said, "Would Allah not concern Himself with this?" Thereupon Allah made it speak saying: "O David! Do you like yourself? By Him in Whose hand is my soul, I am more grateful for what Allah has given me than you are for what He has given you."

Sufiyan Ath-Thawri said: "It was said that whoever does not count tribulation as a favor and prosperity a calamity is not a man of intelligence."

Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: "Allah (Glorified and Exalted by He) says:

"Verily the believer in My eye is placed in the position of all goods; he praises Me (even) when I pluck his soul out from between his flanks." [2]

Ibnus-Sammak wrote a letter to Muhammad Ibnul-Hasan after the latter had been given the charge of the post of judge of Al-Kufak Ibnus-Sanimak said in the letter: "Continue in consciousness of Allah, and fear Him for every favor for which you show little gratitude and (for the one which you) use in disobedience to Him. This is because showing little gratitude is a liability imposed upon you, and using the favors (of Allah) in disobedience, is a proof against you. May Allah forgive you whenever you show little gratitude, disobey, or neglect!"

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

"If you like to see how valuable Allah's favor (shown) to you is, then contemplate (the status of) those who are below you, and do not look at (that of) the ones who are above you." [3]

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that 'Umar Ibnul-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) offered the greeting of Islam to a man, and the latter replied to it. Then 'Umar said to him: "How are you?" The man said: "Praising Allah." 'Umar said: 'This is what I wished to know (of your affair)."

Commenting on the Verse in which Allah says:

“And has made His bounties flow to you in exceeding measure, (both) seen and unseen.” (Surah Luqman: 10),

Mujahid said: "Allah may mean by this the saying, "there is no god but Allah." In the same connection, Ibn 'Uiaynah said: "There is no better favor shown by Allah than His teaching of His servants that "There is no god but Allah." Ibn 'Uiaynah added: '"There is no god but Allah" will be as valuable to him or her in the Hereafter as water in the world."

Salman Al-Farisi (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that Allah gave a man many bounties and then took them back. In reaction, the man thanked and praised Allah. A well-to-do person asked him: For what are you praising Allah?" The man said: "I am praising Him for bounties that none of which can be compensated, by the bounties bestowed on all people." The man said, "What are these bounties!" The man said: "Vision, tongue, hands, feet and the like."

Ja'far Ibn Muhammad (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that when his father lost a she-mule, he promised that if Allah brought it back to him, he would have praised Him in such away with which He would be pleased. When the she-mule was brought back to him, he raised his head up to the sky and said: "Praise be to Allah." Someone enquired about [4] and my father said: "Have I left anything? I have made "all" praise be to Allah."

Abdur-Rahman Ibn Zayd reported that Muhammad Ibnul-Munkadir said to Abu-Hazim: "O Abu Hazim! I meet many people, who invoke Allah for me, though I do not know them. Besides, I have never done anything good for them." Abu Hazim said: "Never think that this refers to your own deeds, but show gratitude to the One Who shows you such favors." Then Abu 'Abdur-Rahman, the narrator, recited the Verse reading:

 “On those who believe and work deeds of righteousness, will the Most Gracious bestow Love.” (Surah Maryam: 96)

'Ali Ibnul-Ja’d said that Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) said in his invocations: "O Allah! I ask you to show me perfect favors, and to help me be so grateful for them, that You may be pleased."

Al-Hasan is reported to have said: "Whenever a man says, Praise be to Allah", after Allah has given him a bounty, what he has given [5] becomes better than what he has been given [6] Ibn Abud-Duniya narrated that Sufiyan Ibn 'Uiayanah commented on Al-Hasan's words saying:

"This is a wrong presumption, for man's deeds can never be better than Allah's." But I (the author) should say that Al-Hasan's words are not as Ibn ‘Uiayanah described. This is because the saying "Praise be to Allah" is a bounty in its own right, and so is the thing for which man says this, to praise Allah. Some bounties are better and more glorious than others. In this regard, gratitude, as a bounty, is more glorious than property, progeny, wives and the like. Yet, this never means that man's deeds are better than Allah's, for man's deeds themselves are a bounty bestowed by Allah.

Ibn Abud-Duniya reported that some people of knowledge said; "A man of knowledge should praise Allah for things that He has not given him, just as he praises Him for things He has bestowed on him. In fact, he praises Allah because He has not imposed upon him the inconvenience of accounting, which is applied to every bounty bestowed."

Commenting on the Verse reading:

 “We will lead them step by step to ruin while they know not.” (Surah Al-A’raf: 182),

Sufiyan said: "It means that Allah gives them bounties in great quantities but deprives them of showing gratitude for them" Another interpreter said: "Whenever they present a sin He presents a bounty to lead them to ruin through it." And Abu Hazim said: "Be careful of Allah when you see Him providing you with bounties one after another while you are disobeying Him."

(Continued)