Published on Aug 06 2010 by Nadimur Rahman

Hudhur gave a discourse on thankfulness in his Friday sermon today. Hudhur said all praise belongs to Allah, last Sunday the UK Jalsa Salana successfully concluded with His grace. Our heads are bowed to God in gratefulness, indeed, should be bowed, for it is with His grace alone that everything concluded in such a fine manner.

It is established in the very beginning of the Holy Qur’an that true believers start everything in the name of God. So that God’s help may be with them through out and they may remember Him. The first verse of the Qur’an is: ‘In the name of Allah…’ thus declaring that the great Book is being read in the name of God.

Believers are enjoined to start everything in the name of Allah. The Divine attributes that are mentioned next are Rahman (Most Gracious) and Raheem (Ever Merciful). Hudhur explained that Rahman God is One Who is extremely Kind and Benevolent and it is by virtue of His quality of Rahmaniyyat that He bestows His graciousness and puts all sorts of arrangements in place for mankind. By virtue of His Raheemiyyat, in addition to His general benevolence, God’s grace is manifested for those who are servants of the Gracious God. When a believer supplicates for help and is expectant of Divine succour, God manifests His support and help. Hudhur said such were the manifestations that we experienced at Jalsa Salana. These were borne of God’s Rahmaniyyat as well as Raheemiyyat and they generate thankfulness and it is this gratitude that makes us servants of the Most Appreciating God (Al Shakur) and we thus receive His beneficence at every juncture. As the Qur’an states: ‘…If you are grateful, I will, surely, bestow more favours on you;’ (14:8).

Hudhur said, with His blessings God removed some of our concerns and concluded the Jalsa amidst immense blessings. In order to continue to experience these manifestations of Divine Rahmaniyyat and Raheemiyyat we need to continue to seek His beneficence. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said that nothing in the spiritual or worldly realm can conclude without these two graces. He said if one pondered one would realise that both these Divine qualities are continually at work. Rahmaniyyat has been in action long before the creation of man. It facilitates and provides all the arrangements needed for man’s existence which man cannot even conceive to attain through his own efforts. Similarly, Raheemiyyat manifests itself when man employs his God-given capabilities to accomplish something. Raheemiyyat does not allow efforts to go in vain and they bear fruits.

Hudhur said the planning of Jalsa and the hard work put in by the workers draws the attention of believers to God’s blessings and rather than associate success to their efforts, the good conclusion of all matters makes them grateful to God. Such gratefulness is truly being servants of Al Shakur.

The Qur’an draws attention in many other places that it is the sign of true believers that they are grateful. ‘…Surely, Allah is gracious towards mankind, but most of them are not thankful…’ (10:61). It is thus God’s grace that He facilitates man’s spiritual and worldly progress. When a believer experiences these blessings his or her gratefulness is increased. The best form of thankfulness is expressed by observing the prescribed Prayers, to supplicate God and to associate all good to His grace. Such is the perception of those who begin everything in the name of God. When a believer attains this insight he/she has no option but to express thankfulness by praising and extolling God. Surah Al Fatihah makes it clear that once something is begun in God’s name and His grace is experienced, it should be declared five times a day in every unit of Prayer as well as in general prayer that All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the worlds that He facilitates everything. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) explained that God has started the Holy Qur’an with the Arabic word ‘Hamd’ (praise) in His glory as opposed to words Madh (applaud) or Shukr (thankfulness) because the word Hamd encompasses the other two words.

Praising God is not simple thankfulness, rather it is a declaration that not only did God provides all the necessary arrangements for mankind with His grace, but also rewards whatever effort is made by man, accepting prayers and bestowing grace. This grace comes regardless of deficiency in our effort and prayer, reforming it all and bestowing the most excellent outcome. Indeed thankfulness of God is not ordinary thankfulness. He covers our faults, graciously corrects us and enhances the standards of our efforts, enhances them to such a degree that mere human endeavour could never attain the results that are achieved. When we praise God with this viewpoint, He further blesses us. This is something we need to be ever aware of.

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