Definition of Shukr
The scholars have provided many definitions of shukr (shukr, gratitude). Some of the most important among them are as follows: "Shukr is the qalb (the heart) being occupied with love for the bestower of blessings, the limbs being engaged in obedience, the tongue flowing with His dhikr (remembrance of God), and praising Him (Allah)."[1]
Ibn ʿAjība (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "Shukr is the qalb rejoicing at the attainment of blessings by employing the limbs in obedience to the bestower of blessings, and humbly acknowledging His favor."[2]
Sayyid Sharif (may Allah have mercy on him) states in his "Taʿrīfāt": "Shukr is for the servant to use all of Allah's blessings, such as the ears, eyes, and other limbs, according to the purpose for which they were created."[3]
Allāma Ibn ʿAllān al-Ṣiddīqī (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "Shukr is to acknowledge the blessing and to maintain oneself in service. Whoever practices shukr abundantly is called 'Shakūr.' For this reason, Allah, the Sublime, says in Sabaʾ 34:13:
'But few of My servants are Shakūr (truly grateful).'"[4]
It is well known that Allah's blessings upon His servants are innumerable. Counting them is extremely difficult. Allah, the Exalted, says in Ibrāhīm 14:34:
'If you tried to count Allah’s blessings, you could never enumerate them.'
The division of blessings can essentially be categorized into three types:
1- Worldly: Such as health, well-being, and lawful wealth...
2- Religious: Such as righteous deeds, knowledge, taqwa (God-consciousness), and knowing Allah the Exalted...
3- Otherworldly: Such as a few righteous deeds but abundant reward...
The greatest of the religious blessings that necessitate shukr are Islam, iman (faith), and the blessing of knowing Allah the Exalted. The shukr for these is to believe and give thanks that they are pure goodness and generosity from Allah the Exalted, granted directly without any effort or power on our part. Allah, the Exalted, says in al-Ḥujurāt 49:7:
'But Allah has endeared iman to you and has made it pleasing in your qalb.'
Again, in al-Nūr 24:21:
'If it had not been for Allah’s favor and mercy upon you, not one of you would have ever been purified.'
Indeed, the believer who contemplates the great existents and the great āyāt (signs) of Allah the Exalted within them increases in awareness of His blessings upon himself, and thus increases in shukr and love for Allah.
Allah the Exalted also bestows blessings upon His servant through the means of other servants. For example, some of Allah's favors have reached us through His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Allah has sent some good to us through our parents and our spiritual educators among the ʿārifūn bi-llāh (those who have experiential knowledge of God). Therefore, it is incumbent upon the believer to give shukr to Allah the Exalted, for He is the true bestower of blessings, having subjugated people to serve as means for the arrival of good. Allah, the Exalted, says in al-Naḥl 16:53:
'Whatever blessing you have is from Allah.'
Whoever Allah has made a means for a blessing, the believer should thank that person as well. For this, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever does not thank people does not thank Allah."[5]
Allah the Exalted calls us to give shukr to Him, to our parents who are the cause of our creation, and to thank them for the goodness and blessings they have directed toward us. In Luqmān 31:14:
'First'
'to Me,'
'then'
'to your parents'
'give shukr'
'thus'
He has advised. The easiest of these two forms of shukr is to thank people. Whoever neglects to thank people will be even more neglectful in giving shukr to Allah.
A. Types of Shukr
From the definitions of shukr mentioned here and elsewhere, it is understood that shukr can be divided into three types: shukr of the tongue, shukr of the limbs, and shukr of the qalb.
Shukr of the tongue: This is to speak of Allah the Exalted's blessings, in accordance with His command in al-Ḍuḥā 93:11:
'And proclaim the favor of your Lord.'
It is to implement the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Speaking of Allah's blessing is shukr."[6]
It is said: "Whoever conceals a blessing (hides it) has committed kufr (disbelief) regarding the blessing. Whoever reveals and spreads it has certainly given shukr." For this reason, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) is an exemplary figure in shukr and praise. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "For this reason, my Lord offered to turn Batha (a wide valley in Mecca) into gold for me. I said: 'O my Lord, no.' Rather, I wish to be satiated one day and hungry another day. He said this or something similar three times. I said: 'When I am hungry, I will supplicate to You and remember You. When I am satiated, I will give shukr and praise You.'"[7]
Thus, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged praise. As narrated by Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both), the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said to them: "A servant among the servants of Allah said:
'O my Lord, to You belongs all praise in a manner befitting the majesty of Your Face and the greatness of Your Sovereignty.' The two angels assigned to record this were perplexed as to how to write its reward. They ascended to the heavens and said: 'O our Lord! Your servant has uttered a statement, but we do not know how to record it.' Allah, though He knows best what His servant said, asked: 'What did My servant say?' They replied: 'O our Lord, he said: O my Lord, to You belongs all praise in a manner befitting the majesty of Your Face and the greatness of Your Sovereignty.' Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, said to the two angels: 'Record it as My servant said, and when he meets Me, I will reward him for it.'"[8]
2- Shukr of the limbs: This is to act for the sake of Allah the Exalted. Allah, the Exalted, alludes to shukr as action in Sabaʾ 34:13:
'Work, O family of David, in shukr!'
The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) practically explained shukr by rising for night worship. Regarding this, our lady ʿĀʾisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated: "When the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed at night, he would stand until his feet cracked. I asked: 'O Messenger of God, why do you do this? Have not your past and future sins been forgiven?' The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: 'Should I not be a servant who gives much shukr to Allah?'"[9]
3- Shukr of the qalb: This is to bear witness that all blessings given to you or to any other servant are from Allah the Exalted. Allah, the Exalted, says in al-Naḥl 16:53:
'Whatever blessing you have is from Allah.'
Do not let seeing the blessings veil you from seeing the Bestower of blessings. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), in accordance with this ḥaqīqa (inner reality), said:
"Whoever, upon waking in the morning, says: 'O Allah! Whatever blessing has come to me or to any of Your creation this morning is from You alone. You have no partner. To You belongs all praise and shukr,' has fulfilled the shukr for that day. Whoever says the same in the evening has fulfilled the shukr for the night."[10]
It is reported in the works that Mūsā (peace be upon him) said: "O my Lord, You created Adam with Your hand of power, breathed into him from Your spirit, made Your angels prostrate to him, taught him the names of all things, did this and that for him—how could he possibly fulfill shukr for all this?" Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said: "Indeed, his knowing that all this is from Me is itself shukr."[11]
Thus, the believer sees his being enabled to give shukr and praise to Allah as itself a blessing from Allah. As Dāwūd (peace be upon him) said: "O my Lord, my shukr to You (my prayer, my other acts of worship) is itself another blessing that obliges further shukr. So how can I ever truly give You shukr?" Allah said: "Now you have given Me shukr, O Dāwūd!"[12]
B. Levels of Those Who Give Shukr
There are different levels among people in attaining true shukr:
Shukr of the common people: They give shukr only for blessings.
Shukr of the elect: They witness Allah's favor and blessings upon them in all states. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) praised those who, when afflicted with calamity, praise Allah with their tongues and are content with their hearts, not allowing despair to enter their hearts nor losing hope in Allah's mercy, as narrated by Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī: "When a servant's child dies, Allah says to the angels: 'Did you take the soul of My servant's child?' The angels reply: 'Yes.' Allah asks: 'What did My servant say?' The angels reply: 'He praised You and said: Inna lillāhi wa inna ilayhi rājiʿūn (Indeed, we belong to Allah and to Him we shall return).' Allah says: 'Build for My servant a house in Paradise and name it the House of Praise (Bayt al-Ḥamd).'"[13] In another hadith, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The first to be called to Paradise are those who praised Allah in both prosperity and adversity."[14]
Shukr of the elect of the elect: This is to be so absorbed in the riḍā (contentment with God's decree) of the Bestower of blessings that one does not see the blessing or the calamity itself. In this sense, Shiblī (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Shukr is not to see the blessing, but to see the Bestower of blessings."[15]
C. The Virtue of Shukr
Shukr is among the highest maqām (spiritual stations), for it encompasses the qalb, tongue, and all the limbs. It includes sabr (patient endurance), riḍā, praise, and most acts of bodily and spiritual worship. For this reason, Allah the Exalted commands shukr and forbids its opposite, kufr (disbelief) and ingratitude. Allah, the Exalted, says in al-Baqara 2:152:
'So remember Me; I will remember you. And be grateful to Me and do not deny Me.'
Shukr is among the greatest attributes of the prophets. Allah, the Exalted, says of our master Ibrāhīm (peace be upon him) in al-Naḥl 16:120-121:
'Indeed, Abraham was a [comprehensive] leader, devoutly obedient to Allah, inclining toward truth, and he was not of those who associate others with Allah. [He was] grateful for His favors. Allah chose him and guided him to a straight path.'
Allah, the Exalted, says of our master Nūḥ (peace be upon him) in al-Isrāʾ 17:3:
'Indeed, he was a grateful servant.'
The Beloved of Allah and His Messenger, our master Muḥammad (peace and blessings be upon him), strove to realize the maqām of shukr in worship, in reviving the nights, and in standing humbly before his Lord. When asked about his striving in worship to the point that his feet became swollen, he replied: "Should I not be a servant who gives much shukr?"[16] The questioner might think the reason for worship is to seek forgiveness, but Allah has already forgiven him (peace and blessings be upon him). Yet the Prophet's answer elevates the questioner's aspiration, raising him to the highest maqām of servitude, the maqām of shukr.
The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) was the best of those who realized shukr, and he called his Companions and other believers to attain this great station. After every prayer, he would encourage turning to Allah the Exalted in dua (supplication), seeking help in dhikr, shukr, and beautiful worship, and asking for His grace. He said to Muʿādh b. Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him): "O Muʿādh, I advise you: after every prayer, say:
O my Lord! Help me to remember You, to give shukr to You, and to worship You in the best manner!"[17]
Because of the loftiness of the maqām and rank of shukr, attaining it is difficult. Its realization requires truthfulness, sabr, uprightness, striving, and continual progress. For this reason, the shākirūn (those who give much shukr) are rare, for the noble and virtuous are few. Allah, the Exalted, says of their scarcity in Sabaʾ 34:13:
'But few of My servants are Shakūr (truly grateful).' Despite the vastness of His grace and generosity, Allah describes most people as being ungrateful for His blessings in al-Naml 27:73:
'Indeed, your Lord is full of bounty for the people, but most of them do not give shukr.'
For this reason, Allah the Exalted, in the Qur'an, frequently reminds people of His great blessings and abundant favors, inviting them many times to reflect upon creation. He shows that people are incapable of enumerating or limiting His blessings, and calls us to contemplate in order to appreciate the precious and beautiful nature of His favors. To give shukr for all of these, Allah, the Exalted, says in al-Naḥl 16:78: "And Allah brought you out of the wombs of your mothers not knowing a thing, and He made for you hearing and vision and hearts that you might give shukr." Allah describes the people of sound intellect and those who reach the age of forty as follows: Such people see that Allah's blessings encompass them, witness His goodness and generosity upon them, and supplicate to Allah to be enabled to give shukr. Allah, the Exalted, says in al-Aḥqāf 46:15:
'And when he reaches maturity and reaches [the age of] forty years, he says, "My Lord, enable me to give shukr for Your favor which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents and to do righteous deeds of which You will approve."'
The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) equated the rank of one who, being provided for by Allah, gives shukr, with that of one who, through hardship, perseveres in worship, saying: "The one who eats and gives shukr is in the same rank as the one who fasts and is patient."[18] Furthermore, shukr is the best means for the continued and lasting presence of blessings. It is said that the bond of a blessing is shukr. Ibn ʿAṭāʾ Allāh (may Allah have mercy on him) says in his "Ḥikam" regarding the wisdom of shukr: "Whoever does not give shukr for blessings exposes them to loss, but whoever gives shukr has surely bound them with a strong rope."[19]
Ingratitude, responding to blessings with neglect and disregard, brings about Allah's wrath, punishment, and the loss of blessings, as Allah, the Exalted, says in al-Naḥl 16:112:
'And Allah presents an example: a city which was safe and secure, its provision coming to it in abundance from every location, but it denied the blessings of Allah. So Allah made it taste the envelopment of hunger and fear for what they had been doing.'
Allah, the Exalted, promises the believers that if they respond to His blessings with shukr, He will increase those blessings, as He says in Ibrāhīm 14:7:
'If you give shukr, I will surely increase you [in favor].'
Indeed, when a person gives shukr to Allah the Exalted, he brings good to himself. Because of his shukr, he attains an increase in Allah's blessings, the continuation of His grace, greater love, and praiseworthiness. Allah, the Exalted, says in al-Naml 27:40:
'And whoever gives shukr, he only gives shukr for [the benefit of] his own soul. And whoever commits kufr, then surely my Lord is Free of need, Generous.'
The Sufi masters, after realizing shukr, recognize the loftiness of its maqām and the greatness of its virtue, and they call people to it. They encourage those whom Allah has favored with worldly and otherworldly blessings not to become preoccupied with worldly favors, but to pursue the path of shukr so that blessings may increase and tawfīq (divine enablement) may continue. Abū ʾl-Ḥamza al-Baghdādī (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "When Allah opens a path of good for you, do not leave it, do not look at it with pride, but rather occupy yourself with shukr to the One Who enabled you to attain it! For looking at it (with pride) will lower your rank, but occupying yourself with shukr will cause your blessings to increase. Allah, the Exalted, says in Ibrāhīm 14:7:
'If'
'you give shukr'
'surely'
'I will'
'increase (My favor to) you.'
Therefore, the Sufi masters, in all their states, knocked at the door of shukr to Allah the Exalted. In their various states, they praised Allah, witnessed Him as the Absolute Actor, the Bestower of Favors, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful, the Most Generous, and humbled themselves at His threshold. With the light of maʿrifa (gnosis) coming to their qalb from Him, with the signs of praise on their tongues, and with their actions in accordance with the rulings of the radiant sharia, they followed the beautiful methods and upright paths of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), his noble Companions, and those who followed them.
Note
With the conclusion of the discussion on shukr, we have completed the third chapter related to attaining union with Allah. However, it should be noted that the maqāms (spiritual stations) presented in this book are not all the stations of the spiritual journey. There are many more. Indeed, our shaykh Muḥammad Hāshimī (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned that there are about one hundred such stations, which he called the stages of the journey to Allah.
Indeed, Shaykh al-Islām Abū Ismāʿīl ʿAbd Allāh b. Muḥammad al-Anṣārī al-Harawī, the Hanbali jurist, mufassir (Qur'anic exegete), and Sufi (d. 481 AH), authored a treatise on this subject, stating that there are one hundred stages on the path of spiritual journeying, and he explained and classified them beautifully. Those who wish to benefit from this work and are interested in it will find it useful. He titled it: "Manāzil al-Sāʾirīn ilā ʾl-Ḥaqq ʿAzza Shaʾnuhu."[21]
IV. CHAPTER
FRUITS OF SUFISM
Kashf (unveiling)
Ilham (inspiration)
Karāma (saintly wonders) of the Awliyāʾ
Notes
- Madārij al-Sālikīn by Ibn Qayyim, vol. 2, p. 136
- Miʿrāj al-Tashawwuf by Ibn ʿAjība, p. 7
- Taʿrīfāt al-Sayyid, p. 76
- Dalīl al-Fāliḥīn li-Ṭuruq Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn, vol. 2, p. 57
- Abū Dāwūd, Sunan, Bāb Shukr al-Maʿrūf, narrated from Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him). Allāma Khaṭṭābī (may Allah have mercy on him) explained this hadith in Muʿallim al-Sunan, vol. 4, p. 113, stating that it can be interpreted in two ways: First, whoever is habitually ungrateful to people for their favors will also be ungrateful to Allah for His blessings. Second, Allah does not accept the shukr of one who does not thank people for their legitimate favors, as one matter is connected to the other.
- Hadith narrated by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad, from Nuʿmān b. Bashīr (may Allah be pleased with them both), vol. 4, p. 375.
- Al-Tirmidhī, Kitāb al-Zuhd, narrated from Abū Umāma (may Allah be pleased with him), who said the hadith is hasan.
- Ibn Mājah, Kitāb al-Adab.
- Al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ, Kitāb al-Riqāq; Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ, Kitāb Ṣifat al-Munāfiqīn; al-Tirmidhī, Abwāb al-Ṣalāt.
- Abū Dāwūd, Sunan, Bāb Mā Yaqūlu Idhā Aṣbaḥa; wording is from al-Nasāʾī.
- Madārij al-Sālikīn by Ibn Qayyim, vol. 2, p. 137
- Madārij al-Sālikīn by Ibn Qayyim, vol. 2, p. 137
- Al-Tirmidhī, Kitāb al-Janāʾiz, who said the hadith is hasan.
- Al-Ḥākim, al-Mustadrak, vol. 1, p. 502, who said the hadith is authentic according to Muslim's criteria; al-Dhahabī agreed.
- Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 81
- Al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ
- Abū Dāwūd, Sunan, Bāb al-Istighfār; al-Nasāʾī, Kitāb al-Iftitāḥ; al-Ḥākim, al-Mustadrak, vol. 1, p. 499, who said the isnād is authentic; al-Dhahabī agreed.
- Al-Tirmidhī, Kitāb Ṣifat al-Qiyāma, narrated from Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him).
- Ikāz al-Himam fī Sharḥ al-Ḥikam by Ibn ʿAjība, vol. 1, p. 100
- Ṭabaqāt al-Ṣūfiyya by al-Sulamī, p. 298
- Sharḥ Shatranj al-ʿĀrifīn by Sayyidī al-Shaykh Muḥammad al-Hāshimī (may Allah have mercy on him), p. 12
- Imam al-Ghazālī (may Allah have mercy on him), Iḥyāʾ, Kitāb al-Maḥabba wa-l-Shawq, vol. 13, p. 2570
- Ibn ʿArabī, Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya, Bāb 178 (on love)