Know that Iblis and his army do not cease in their efforts until they make the servant forget Allah’s favours and fall into ingratitude. Iblis said to Allah:
“Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of them grateful (i.e. they will not be dutiful to You).” [The Noble Qur’an, Surah Al-A’raf, 7:17]
How can someone who calls himself a Muslim claim to be grateful for Allah’s blessings, yet does not perform the prayer? True gratitude must be accompanied by consistent salah.
The purpose of salah is not only to remember Allah and supplicate to Him, but also to express gratitude for the blessings He has bestowed upon us. It is reported that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ would stand so long in salah that the skin of his feet would crack (i.e., his feet would swell). His wife, ‘Aishah رضي الله عنها, asked him:
“Why do you do this when your past and future sins have been forgiven?” He replied: “Should I not love to be a grateful servant of Allah?” [Sahih al-Bukhari (4837)]
Allah has promised to increase His blessings upon us if we show gratitude to Him by obeying His commands and performing righteous deeds. He says in His Book:
“And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: ‘If you are grateful (by consistently establishing prayer, giving charity, and performing other acts of worship), I will surely increase you (in My blessings); but if you are ungrateful, indeed My punishment is severe.’” [The Noble Qur’an, Surah Ibrahim, 14:7]
Reflect upon these two consecutive verses in Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:152–153:
“So remember Me; I will remember you. Be grateful to Me and do not be ungrateful. O you who believe! Seek help through patience and salah. Indeed, Allah is with the patient.”
Immediately after Allah commands us to remember Him and to be grateful to Him, He then commands us to seek His help through patience and by establishing salah. Observe the sequence in His commands:
(1) Remember Allah
(2) Be grateful to Allah and do not be ungrateful to Him.
(3) Seek His help
(4) Be patient
(5) Establish prayer
The feeling of gratitude arises when we remember Allah and the blessings He has bestowed upon us. His blessings are part of the tests of our lives. A person who is grateful and claims to be a “Muslim” should manifest that gratitude not only with the tongue, but also by performing prayer consistently; remaining steadfast and never abandoning it at all.
Furthermore, we should never cease seeking His help in all our affairs through patience and the establishment of salah.
May this be beneficial. 🤗
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