Shall I Not Be a Grateful Servant?

The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to stay up all night in prayer, until his feet would swell. He was asked — by ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her), and on other occasions by other companions — why he pushed himself so much in servitude, in worship, when Allah (swt) had already given him the promise, in Sūrat al-Fatḥ and elsewhere, that He had forgiven him all his past and future lapses, that he was without sin, that he was perfect. Why push himself so hard when his blessed feet were swollen from standing all night? His answer: "Yā ʿĀʾishah, shall I not be ʿabdan shakūrā, a grateful servant, to Allah (swt)? It is my duty. Look at the niʿmah that I receive constantly, and look at my own shortcomings, my inability to make shukr to Allah (swt)."

Imam al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī (may Allah have mercy on him), in his masjid in Basra — a huge masjid, and he a great ʿālim, a great imam, the very one from whom these fifty-four farāʾiḍ are learned — was once approached by one of his main students, who said: "Yā Shaykh, alḥamdulillāh, the masjid is full; so many people come from all over the country to attend your lessons, your ḥalaqah, your circle of learning." But, the student went on, there is one strange man who does not join the ḥalaqah — he goes and sits in a corner, facing the qiblah, his head down, and does not attend the dars. Imam al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, not a man interested in self-praise or in being told of his own following, nonetheless grew curious, and said: "When he comes next time, show him to me, so that I may speak with him."

One day the man walked in and sat, as always, in his corner. Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī approached him and said: "As-salāmu ʿalaykum, yā ḥabīb." The man answered quietly, "Wa ʿalaykum al-salām," but said nothing further. Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī said: "Please, may I speak with you for a few minutes? Only a few minutes." The man said, "Yes, go ahead."

"Tell me," al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī said, "what keeps you from attending the ḥalaqah, the study circle, of the man they call al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī?" — not introducing himself by name, but asking as of a third party. The man replied: "My problem prevents me from sitting in that particular seat." "SubḥānAllāh," said al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī. "What is your problem? Please tell me — perhaps I can help." "You cannot help with my problem," the man said. Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī insisted, and the man began to speak.

He said: "You see, I look at the niʿmah that Allah (swt) gives me constantly — the billions and millions of blessings and favours He grants me — and I look at my own inability to make shukr for them, and I feel so despondent. And on top of this, I see my sins; I see my shortcomings; I see my ingratitude, my inability to thank Allah (swt). And when I see this shortcoming within me, I put my head down and say, astaghfirullāh, astaghfirullāh, astaghfirullāh, yā Allāh — please, please forgive me, forgive me, forgive me. But when I see the niʿmah coming, I turn back, just for a few minutes, and say, alḥamdulillāh, alḥamdulillāh, alḥamdulillāh, shukr yā Rabbī, shukr, shukr. I go on constantly acknowledging this: one astaghfirullāh, one alḥamdulillāh, one astaghfirullāh, one alḥamdulillāh. What need do I have for the ḥalaqah, for the study circle of al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī? My own problem is bigger than myself; I have no need of anybody's help."

To be able to make shukr, to become ʿabdan shakūrā, a grateful and thankful servant of Allah (swt), is a great maqām. There are different levels of making shukr, and this is one such level — the level of one among the shākirīn.