God’s being Shākir and Shakūr—Grateful and Ever-Thankful—refers to the divine generosity and grace shown in creation, and to His kindness toward His creatures and servants. True divine gratitude takes form in the many ways He bestows gifts, generosity, encouragement and reward—none of which anyone deserves, but all of which flow solely from His mercy, compassion and grace.
For a servant, gratitude means acknowledging God’s blessings, making use of them and putting them to use in ways pleasing to the Almighty Lord. In truth, gratitude on God’s part is creative and bestowing, while gratitude on the servant’s part is an expression of thanks. In other words, when God’s servant expresses gratitude to Him, this is understood as the servant’s thanks to the Creator.
قالَ الصَّادِقُ ع فِي كُلِّ نَفَسٍ مِنْ أَنْفَاسِكَ شُكْرٌ لَازِمٌ لَكَ بَلْ أَلْفٌ أَوْ أَكْثَرُ وَ أَدْنَى الشُّكْرِ رُؤْيَةُ النِّعْمَةِ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى مِنْ غَيْرِ عِلَّةٍ يَتَعَلَّقُ الْقَلْبُ بِهَا دُونَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ الرِّضَا بِمَا أَعْطَى وَ أَنْ لَا تَعْصِيَهُ بِنِعْمَتِهِ وَ تُخَالِفَهُ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ وَ نَهْيِهِ بِسَبَبِ نِعْمَتِهِ فَكُنْ لِلَّهِ عَبْداً شَاكِراً عَلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ تَجِدِ اللَّهَ رَبّاً كَرِيماً عَلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ وَ لَوْ كَانَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى عِبَادَةٌ تَعَبَّدَ بِهَا عِبَادُهُ الْمُخْلَصُونَ أَفْضَلَ مِنَ الشُّكْرِ عَلَى كُلٍّ لَأَطْلَقَ لَفْظَةً فِيهِمْ مِنْ جَمِيعِ الْخَلْقِ بِهَا فَلَمَّا لَمْ يَكُنْ أَفْضَلُ مِنْهَا خَصَّهَا مِنْ بَيْنِ الْعِبَادَاتِ وَ خَصَّ أَرْبَابَهَا فَقَالَ وَ قَلِيلٌ مِنْ عِبادِيَ الشَّكُورُ وَ تَمَامُ الشُّكْرِ الِاعْتِرَافُ بِلِسَانِ السِّرِّ خَالِصاً لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ بِالْعَجْزِ عَنْ بُلُوغِ أَدْنَى شُكْرِهِ لِأَنَّ التَّوْفِيقَ فِي الشُّكْرِ نِعْمَةٌ حَادِثَةٌ يَجِبُ الشُّكْرُ عَلَيْهَا وَ هِيَ أَعْظَمُ قَدْراً وَ أَعَزُّ وُجُوداً مِنَ النِّعْمَةِ الَّتِي مِنْ أَجْلِهَا وُفِّقَ لَهُ فَيَلْزَمُكَ عَلَى كُلِّ شُكْرٍ شُكْرٌ أَعْظَمُ مِنْهُ إِلَى مَا لَا نِهَايَةَ لَهُ مُسْتَغْرِقاً فِي نِعَمِهِ عَاجِزاً قَاصِراً عَنْ دَرْكِ غَايَةِ شُكْرِهِ فَأَنَّى يَلْحَقُ الْعَبْدُ شُكْرَ نِعْمَةِ اللَّهِ وَ مَتَى يَلْحَقُ صَنِيعُهُ بِصَنِيعِهِ وَ الْعَبْدُ ضَعِيفٌ لَا قُوَّةَ لَهُ أَبَداً إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ تَعَالَى عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى غَنِيٌّ عَنْ طَاعَةِ الْعَبْدِ فَهُوَ تَعَالَى قَوِيٌّ عَلَى مَزِيدِ النِّعَمِ عَلَى الْأَبَدِ فَكُنْ لِلَّهِ عَبْداً شَاكِراً عَلَى هَذَا الْوَجْهِ تَرَى الْعَجَب
Miṣbāḥ al-Sharīʿa, p. 24
Imam al-Ṣādiq (AS) said: “For every breath you take, you owe a thanks—and indeed, a thousand thanks, or more.”
The least degree of gratitude is to recognize that a blessing comes from God, without inventing some cause for it that appeals to the heart or captures its attention. One must know that God alone is the cause and source of the blessing, be content with what He bestows, and never use His blessings to disobey Him or go against His commands and prohibitions.
So be grateful to God in every circumstance and at all times, so that wherever you turn, you may see your Lord as the Forgiving, the Compassionate. If, in the sight of God Almighty, there were any act of worship better and more exalted than the worship offered by His sincere servants, He would surely have named it and specifically commanded His servants to practise it. But since no act of worship is better or more beloved, He chose this one; and among His servants, He singled out and named only those who are grateful, saying: “Few among My servants are grateful.”
Perfect gratitude is to acknowledge, through one’s words, one’s heart and sincere intention, one’s inability to fulfil even the lowest degree of gratitude to the Almighty Lord. For being enabled to give thanks is itself a new blessing, one that calls for further gratitude; and this new blessing and grace is, by far, greater and more significant than the first. It follows that every act of gratitude calls for another, and so gratitude continues without end.
A person then comes to realise that they have been continually immersed in God’s blessings, yet are incapable and inadequate when it comes to offering the gratitude that is due. How, then, could anyone give thanks for the blessings of the Almighty Lord as they ought? And how could a person’s deeds ever match or equal God’s? The servant is helpless and weak, possessing no strength or power of their own unless God grants it to them. God has no need of His servant’s worship or obedience, and has the power to increase His blessings without end. So you must worship Him in this way and on this understanding, and be grateful; then you will behold wonders of God’s grace.
*Misbah al-Shari‘a*, translated by Mostafavi, text, p. 26
مُنَاجَاةُ الشَّاكِرِينَ:
َّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ إِلَهِي أَذْهَلَنِي عَنْ إِقَامَةِ شُكْرِكَ تَتَابُعُ طَوْلِكَ، وَ أَعْجَزَنِي عَنْ إِحْصَاءِ ثَنَائِكَ فَيْضُ فَضْلِكَ، وَ شَغَلَنِي عَنْ ذِكْرِ مَحَامِدِكَ تَرَادُفُ عَوَائِدِكَ، وَ أَعْيَانِي عَنْ نَشْرِ عَوَارِفِكَ تَوَالِي أَيَادِيكَ، وَ هَذَا مَقَامُ مَنِ اعْتَرَفَ بِسُبُوغِ النَّعْمَاءِ وَ قَابَلَهَا بِالتَّقْصِيرِ، وَ شَهِدَ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ بِالْإِهْمَالِ وَ التَّضْيِيعِ، وَ أَنْتَ الرَّءُوفُ الرَّحِيمُ الْبَرُّ الْكَرِيمُ الَّذِي لَا يُخَيِّبُ قَاصِدِيهِ، وَ لَا يَطْرُدُ عَنْ فِنَائِهِ آمِلِيهِ، بِسَاحَتِكَ تَحُطُّ رِحَالُ الرَّاجِينَ وَ بِعَرْصَتِكَ تَقِفُ آمَالُ الْمُسْتَرْفِدِينَ، فَلَا تُقَابِلْ آمَالَنَا بِالتَّخْيِيبِ وَ الْإِيَاسِ وَ لَا تُلْبِسْنَا سِرْبَالَ الْقُنُوطِ وَ الْإِبْلَاسِ، إِلَهِي تَصَاغَرَ عِنْدَ تَعَاظُمِ آلَآئِكَ شُكْرِي، وَ تَضَاءَلَ فِي جَنْبِ إِكْرَامِكَ إِيَّايَ ثَنَائِي وَ نَشْرِي، جَلَّلَتْنِي نِعَمُكَ مِنْ أَنْوَارِ الْإِيمَانِ حُلَلًا، وَ ضَرَبَتْ عَلَيَّ لَطَائِفُ بِرِّكَ مِنَ الْعِزِّ كِلَلًا، وَ قَلَّدَتْنِي مِنَنُكَ قَلَائِدَ لَا تُحَلُّ، وَ طَوَّقَتْنِي أَطْوَاقاً لَا تُفَلُّ فَآلَاؤُكَ جَمَّةٌ ضَعُفَ لِسَانِي عَنْ إِحْصَائِهَا، وَ نَعْمَاؤُكَ كَثِيرَةٌ قَصُرَ فَهْمِي عَنْ إِدْرَاكِهَا، فَضْلًا عَنِ اسْتِقْصَائِهَا، فَكَيْفَ لِي بِتَحْصِيلِ الشُّكْرِ وَ شُكْرِي إِيَّاكَ يَفْتَقِرُ إِلَى شُكْرٍ، فَكُلَّمَا قُلْتُ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ وَجَبَ عَلَيَّ لِذَلِكَ أَنْ أَقُولَ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ، إِلَهِي فَكَمَا غَذَّيْتَنَا بِلُطْفِكَ وَ رَبَّيْتَنَا بِصُنْعِكَ فَتَمِّمْ عَلَيْنَا سَوَابِغَ النِّعَمِ وَ ادْفَعْ عَنَّا مَكَارِهَ النِّقَمِ، وَ آتِنَا مِنْ حُظُوظِ الدَّارَيْنِ أَرْفَعَهَا وَ أَجَلَّهَا عَاجِلًا وَ آجِلًا، وَ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ عَلَى حُسْنِ بَلَائِكَ وَ سُبُوغِ نَعْمَائِكَ، حَمْداً يُوَافِقُ رِضَاكَ وَ يَمْتَرِي الْعَظِيمَ مِنْ بِرِّكَ وَ نَدَاكَ، يَا عَظِيمُ يَا كَرِيمُ بِرَحْمَتِكَ يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ
O God, the ceaseless flow of Your generosity has made me forget to uphold the gratitude You are due;
the abundance of Your gifts has left me unable to enumerate Your praise;
the succession of Your kindnesses has kept me from recalling Your beautiful attributes;
the blessings You send one after another have left me unable to set forth the full extent of Your goodness.
This is the state of one who acknowledges the excellence of Your blessings and his own shortcomings in response to them, and bears witness against himself to his negligence in worship and his waste of Your gifts. Yet You are the Consoler, the Compassionate, the Benevolent, the Generous, who never turns away the one who asks, nor drives from His door the one who hopes in Him. At Your threshold the hopes of those who hope take refuge, and before the gate of Your mercy stand the aspirations of those who seek Your bounty. Do not let our hopes meet with deprivation and despair; do not clothe us in the garb of hopelessness and exclusion from Your mercy.
O God, my gratitude seems small before the greatness of Your blessings, and my praise and account of Your favours seem paltry and insignificant beside Your generosity toward me. Your blessings have adorned me with the lights of faith, and the subtle graces of Your goodness have raised tents of honour above my head. Your gifts have placed around my neck adornments that will never be removed, and fastened upon me collars that will never be undone.
Your abundant gifts have left my tongue unable to count them, and Your countless blessings have exceeded the grasp of my understanding—let alone my ability to take their full measure. How can I give You thanks, when my very gratitude to You calls for yet another act of gratitude? Each time I say, “Praise be to You,” I become bound to say again, “Praise be to You,” in gratitude for that very utterance.
O God, just as You have graciously provided us with food and nurtured us through Your kindness, bring Your abundant blessings upon us to their fullness. Keep from us all that is grievous and unpleasant, and grant us, now and in the future, the finest and highest share of the blessings of both worlds.
Praise be to You for the goodness of Your trial and for Your abundant blessings—a praise worthy of Your good pleasure.
May He draw the best of His creation toward us, O Great One, O Generous One, through Your mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful.
َ عَنْ زُرَارَةَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ ع يَقُولُ مَنْ صَنَعَ مِثْلَ مَا صُنِعَ إِلَيْهِ فَإِنَّمَا كَافَأَ وَ مَنْ أَضْعَفَ كَانَ شَاكِراً وَ مَنْ شَكَرَ كَانَ كَرِيماً وَ مَنْ عَلِمَ أَنَّ مَا صَنَعَ [إليه] إِنَّمَا يَصْنَعُ لِنَفْسِهِ لَمْ يَسْتَبْطِئِ النَّاسَ فِي شُكْرِهِمْ وَ لَمْ يَسْتَزِدْهُمْ فِي مَوَدَّتِهِمْ وَ اعْلَمْ أَنَّ الطَّالِبَ إِلَيْكَ الْحَاجَةَ لَمْ يُكْرِمْ وَجْهَهُ عَنْ وَجْهِكَ فَأَكْرِمْ وَجْهَكَ عَنْ رَدِّهِ.
Zurārah relates: I heard Imam al-Bāqir, peace be upon him, say: “When someone repays another in kind, he has given an equal return; whoever gives twice as much has shown gratitude; and whoever shows gratitude is noble. Whoever knows that the fruit of his deeds will return to him will not impatiently await people’s thanks, nor seek greater affection from them. Remember: anyone who asks you for help has laid his dignity and good name before you. So preserve your own honour and make yourself worthy by granting the request and not turning him away.”