Gratitude Bound to Belief

Upon these blessings, shukr should always be made to Allah (swt), gratitude shown to Him, and the benefit is twofold. Firstly, the niʿmah that Allah (swt) affords will increase, in size or in number. And, because shukr is constantly made to Allah (swt), this will also result in the growth of maḥabbah, love of Allah (swt), in the heart.

Allah (swt) has linked shukr with īmān, with belief. He has no need to punish His creatures if they thank Him and believe in Him at all — this would not befit Him, since Allah (swt) never causes any oppression to His servants in any case. But He deliberately says, in the following āyah, part of Sūrat al-Nisāʾ, verse one hundred and forty-seven:

What has Allah (swt) to do with punishing you, if you are grateful and you believe? If a person is doing his worship, if he is grateful to Allah (swt), if he believes in Him, why would Allah (swt) punish him? Naʿūdhu billāh. Allah's (swt) punishment is only for those who are ungrateful, who do not believe in Him, who disobey Him, both in this world and in the hereafter. Allah (swt) also says that the grateful are singled out from the rest of His servants, from the rest of His ʿibād, because of the mercy He displays toward them.

How? Allah (swt) says again, in verse fifty-three of Sūrat al-Anʿām:

And thus We test some of them by means of others, so that they say: are these the ones whom Allah (swt) has favoured from among us? Is Allah (swt) not best aware of those who give shukr? Of course He singles out certain people; He gives some niʿmah, and some do not receive anything. The way Allah (swt) distributes wealth to people is fascinating; the way He distributes talents to people is fascinating. Only He knows the ḥikmah behind it — this is not known to His creatures. Some say: how is he more fortunate than I am, how does he receive more than I do, how is it I do not receive the same thing? But Allah (swt) is the one who causes this; Allah (swt) is the one who gives.

In the sight of Allah (swt), there are two types of people: those who are grateful, the shākirīn, and those who are ungrateful. The most displeasing thing to Allah (swt) is ingratitude, and the most precious thing in His sight is shukr, and the people who give shukr to Allah (swt).

Allah (swt) says, in the third verse of Sūrat al-Insān:

Surely We have shown him the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful. Allah (swt) shows the path; He gives the same intellect, the same choice, the same irādah, to every person; He shows the Qurʾān and the Sunnah; He gives the hidāyah, shows the path of guidance. But to make shukr, to accept this particular hidāyah from Allah (swt), is left to each person. Once guidance is accepted and recognised, once a person begins to fulfil his function as a servant of Allah (swt), then he is a grateful servant of Allah (swt); otherwise, he is regarded as ungrateful.

So the kāfirūn, the mushrikūn, all the disbelievers, are the ungrateful ones — those who constantly show ingratitude to Allah (swt), because they do not recognise Him. The muʾminūn, on the other hand, the believers, the muslimūn, are the ones who show gratitude to Allah (swt) and are pleased by Him.

Allah (swt) also says, in verse seven of Sūrat Ibrāhīm:

And your Lord proclaimed: if you are thankful, if you show shukr toward Him, He will give more, will increase His niʿmah upon a person; but if a person is ungrateful, shows ingratitude toward Him, then surely His punishment is terrible indeed. The niʿmah that is covered up, not acknowledged — His ʿadhāb is very severe for that.