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Muslim Thanks
Muslim Thanks How does your faith express thanks? ABDUL RASHID is a member of the Ottawa Muslim community, the Christian-Muslim Dialogue and the Capital Region Interfaith Council. When some one gives us a gift, fulfils one of our needs, shows us love, or provides us with comfort, security or pleasure, in any form or manner, our instinctive reaction is to acknowledge this through an expression of our gratitude. But who has bestowed on us innumerable gifts? Who gave us intellect and, above all, honoured us with faith and Divine of guidance? Of course, He is Creator, God Almighty.
We can never fully thank our Merciful Creator for His innumerable blessings. The Holy Qur’n tells us: “And He gives you of all that you ask for. And if you count the favours of God, never will you be able to number them” (14: 34). Gratitude is not passive in nature, as is often mistakenly thought. It begins with recognition of a gift and its value. It is then followed by its intended use. The way to thank God for
His gifts is to put each gift to its intended use. To misuse a Divine gift, to ignore it, or not to share it with others will be ingratitude. To begin with, we should thank Almighty by glorifying and worshiping Him and by following His Guidance. If we are blessed with children, we should thank Him by loving them and teaching them the moral ways both by word and deed. If God has blessed us with ease and wealth, we should thank Him by spending it on righteous causes and by sharing it with those who are in need. And if find ourselves in difficulties like illness or financial hardship, we should thank God by being patient and by remembering the many blessings we continue to enjoy. To thank God for the free gift of hearing, sight and speech, we should thank God by making their optimum use. The ability to say ‘thank you’ is itself a Divine gift and we should use if often.
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