Shukr (gratitude to God and to people: its meaning, its rulings, its virtue and its opposite)

Shukr, in language, is the acknowledgement of a kindness received, its spreading and praise of its doer. It is said only in return for a kindness or favour; its opposite is ingratitude (kufran). In its full sense, gratitude shows in the tongue, the heart and the limbs: by the tongue, in acknowledgement and praise; by the heart, in recognising the favour; by the limbs, in using the favour for what pleases the giver. Gratitude to God, in the technical sense, is spending the favours He has given in obedience to Him or for the purposes for which they were made. ^{1 2} God's thanks to a servant means that a small deed of his grows and is multiplied in reward. "Thankful" and "Grateful" are among His attributes. ²

Praise (madh) is good speech about a person and may be used of the living or of things, before or after a kindness; gratitude comes only after a kindness. Commendation (hamd) is praise of the praised one for good qualities and deeds with a purpose of honouring him, and its opposite is blame. Hamd is wider than shukr in that it is not tied to a favour, while shukr is wider in that it is made by the tongue, the heart and the limbs, whereas hamd is by the tongue only. A report says that commendation is the head of gratitude: whoever does not praise God does not thank Him. ²

Thanking God for His favours is obligatory in general, so it may not be abandoned altogether. Al-Halimi argues from verses that command remembrance and thanks. Whether the duty was known by reason and confirmed by the law, or by the law alone, is disputed: most Hanafis and the Mu'tazilis hold the first, the Ash'aris the second, since reason has no place in matters of the hereafter. Much thanks is recommended, and it is recommended on occasions such as praising God for food, drink and clothing. ^{2 3}

Its virtue is shown in several ways: God praised those who give thanks in the Qur'an and described some of His chosen servants, such as Abraham and Noah, with it; He made it the purpose of His favours; He promised reward to the grateful and made it a cause of more favours; He named Himself the Grateful and the Thankful; He joined it with patience in several places; and the scarcity of the grateful shows that they are God's elect. Righteous people asked God to help them give thanks, and the Prophet ﷺ told Mu'adh to say in every prayer: O God, help me to remember You and to thank You. ^{3 7}

Gratitude is of three kinds: for favours received; for the removal of harm, such as the cure of an illness, the end of a plague, an enemy or a drowning; and at things disliked, such as hardship, with patience and submission. A parent who has lost a child and says "we belong to God and to Him we return" is told that God builds a house for him in Paradise called the House of Praise. Its reason is that it expiates sins and raises ranks. A sick man asked about his state is recommended to praise God before he complains. ^{7 4 8}

It is realised by six things: knowing the favour and its measure; knowing that it is from God; receiving it by showing need for it and that it comes by God's grace and not by merit; praising the giver and speaking of the favour; not using it in what displeases the giver, and using it to please him; and doing acts of obedience in thanks. The opposite, ingratitude, includes denying the favour, attributing it to other than its giver, believing it was earned by one's own power, and boasting of it. ^{8 9 5}

It is recommended to renew thanks aloud at each new favour, by praise, and by an act of devotion, such as charity, two rak'as or a prostration of thanks. Feasts for new favours, such as the feast for a new house, the feast for a traveller's return, and the feast when a child finishes the Qur'an, are recommended by the Hanbalis and, in the sounder view, the Shafi'is. A vow to perform an act of devotion at a new favour is a vow of exchange and must be kept. A healthy person who sees one afflicted is advised to praise God for his health. ^{5 10 8}

Thanking a benefactor is approved by all sensible people, even for a small favour, since whoever does not thank the little does not thank the much, and whoever does not thank people does not thank God. Thanks in deed is the root, paying a kindness with a kindness; if that is not possible, a good word is enough. Asking the beneficiary for thanks is disliked. The Qur'an praises those who feed the poor for the love of God without wanting reward or thanks. Al-Razi held that doing good for other than God's sake is either for reward or for praise, and that a deliberate association in intention voids the act of worship. ^{10 6 11}

The Sheikh contrasts a miser who keeps all his wealth with a grateful rich man who sees the poor's right in it, and gives an example with sums of money (needs_source: the figures) ¹². He says that the sincere believer sees what he holds as others' rights, while one who only claims faith sees what is taken from him ¹³.

The Sheikh holds, as his own opinion, that worldly fortune is a test, that success is met with gratitude, and that whoever does not give thanks loses what he has ¹⁴. He recalls the parable of a town that was secure and at peace, its provision coming in abundance, which then showed ingratitude, and so hunger and fear came upon it (needs_source: the interpretation) ^{15 16}.