The Function of the Heart, the Tongue, and the Limbs

The heart's function is to acknowledge the Giver, Allah (swt), for that particular niʿmah, and thereby to develop love, maḥabbah, toward Him. If somebody gives any gift, gratitude follows, appreciation follows, and that person is never forgotten — and if it is truly a timely gift, given at a moment of real need, that person is never forgotten at all. Allah (swt) is the one who gives this niʿmah; the function of the heart, therefore, is to incline toward that perfection, toward Allah (swt).

Making shukr begins to crack open the seed of maḥabbah toward Allah (swt) in the heart. In some of the spiritual paths, in some of the spiritual orders, disciples, murīds, are asked to stand up early in the morning, in the early hours, before tahajjud or after it, and to remember and recall the gifts of Allah (swt) one by one — and after each gift recalled, to say alḥamdulillāh, shukr yā Rabbī: shukr yā Rabbī for my eyes, shukr yā Rabbī for my pen, shukr yā Rabbī for my limbs, shukr yā Rabbī for this. The purpose is to increase the love of Allah (swt), the Giver of the niʿmah, within the heart.

The tongue is for thanking and praising Allah (swt). Gratitude may be held in the heart, but it must also be expressed — it needs to be expressed. And thirdly, the limbs are to be used in obedience to the One being thanked: shukr is shown by holding back from disobedience and from ḥarām acts toward Him. In avoiding what is ḥarām and appreciating the niʿmah of Allah (swt), and so fulfilling the rights owed to those limbs, a person is indeed making shukr to Allah (swt).

Allah (swt), the Maker, the Creator, has linked shukr with īmān. The mashāyikh teach that at least a conscientious five minutes daily should be spent pondering the iḥsānāt, the favours of Allah (swt) upon oneself. It is human nature to feel love for one who has been gracious, for the one who bestows favours; the seed of love of Allah (swt) is planted by reflecting on His many favours. When this begins to be expressed with the tongue, the seed begins to grow. Despite disobedience toward Him, Allah (swt) constantly grants blessings, removes difficulties, grants cover — covers one's faults, does not disclose them to other human beings — and does not punish immediately, though every bit of it is deserved. This is a niʿmah within a niʿmah of Allah (swt).