Thanking Allah
Praising Allah (Hamd) has a more general and inclusive meaning than thanking or gratitude (Shukr), for thanks and gratitude are only a repay for a favour, whereas Hamd is both a recompense like thanks and spontaneous praise.
If you understand the universal nature of Hamd you will know that your saying "Al-Hamdu Lillah" (Praise Be To Allah) requires praise of Him for His majesty, vastness, unity, might, bestowal of favors, knowledge, ability and power, wisdom and other attributes, and that it includes the meanings of His ninety-nine beautiful names. What a word [it is] which gathers together that which volumes find difficult to express.
In Islamic terminology, Thankfulness is the acknowledgment of the fact that Allah is the only Grantor of graces, and full submission to Allah in a way that assures that acknowledgment. The graces (favors) of Allah are endless and countless.
Allah says:
"And if you were to count the blessings of Allah, you will never be able to count them." Qur'an (14: 34)
He, the All Mighty also says:
"And whatever blessings and good you have, it is from Allah ..." Qur'an (16: 53)
Thanks with the tongue is praise of the Bestower of Blessings and speaking about the blessings. Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), said:
"To talk about blessings is gratitude."
Thanks expressed by the limbs means to act in obedience to Allah and to abandon disobedience to Him. A thanks with the heart is recognition of the extent of the blessing and the knowledge that it is a gracious bestowal and not from the slave's own merit.
Know that the blessings which require gratitude cannot be enumerated, but they can be expressed in terms of three categories:
1- Worldly blessings such as health and wealth;
2- Blessings of the religion such as knowledge and fear and respect to Allah
3- Other-wordly blessings, which are one's being recompensed with much reward for few actions in a short life.
How can one thank Allah?
The word 'worshipers' represents mankind, for all of mankind should totally submit to the will of Allah- We can thank Allah in many ways. Among these ways:
1. Prostrating to Allah:
If you receive a blessing from Allah or when Allah save you from a disaster. Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) used to prostrate to Allah whenever he received a pleasant thing or was told good news. This prostration is conducted for the sole purpose of giving thanks to Allah, the Granter of the grace and benefit that the servant received.
Abdur-Rahman ibn 'Auf narrates that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) went out once and he followed him until he entered a grove of palm trees and prostrated. His prostration was so long that 'Abdur-Rahman feared that Allah had taken his soul. 'Abdur-Rahman came to look at him and he raised his head and said: "What is wrong, Abdur-Rahman'?" Abdur rahman mentioned what had happened, and he (PBUH) said: "Gibra'el came to me and said: 'Shall I not give you glad tidings'? Allah says to you, Whoever prays upon you, I pray upon him. Whoever salutes you, I salute him.' Therefore, I prostrated to Allah in thanks."
2. Thanking Allah in words:
The majority of Muslim scholars agreed that if one does not thank Allah for the grace he has, then that grace will be taken away from him and may never come back.
Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said:
"It is a fine thing when a believer praises and thanks Allah if good comes to him, and praises Allah and shows endurance if smitten by affliction. The believer is rewarded for everything, even for the morsel he raises to his wife's mouth."
3. Talking about the benefits Allah has granted to you.
This is because hiding and denying the benefits of Allah is being ungrateful. Allaah says in the Qur'an:
"Do they believe in the false deities and deny the favor of Allaah."Qur'an (16:72)
Narrated by Zaid bin Khalid Al Juhani:
The Prophet (PBUH) led us in the Fajr prayer at Hudaibiya after a rainy night. On completion of the prayer, he faced the people and said:
"Do you know what your Lord has said (revealed)?" The people replied, "Allah and His Messenger know better." He said, "Allah has said, 'In this morning some of my slaves remained as true believers and some became non-believers; whoever said that the rain was due to the Blessings and the Mercy of Allah had belief in Me and he disbelieves in the stars, and whoever said that it rained because of a particular star had no belief in Me but believes in that star."
4. Helping people in need:
It was mentioned in a Hadith of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) that:
"As the grants from Allah to a servant increase so will the people's needs of that blessed servant's services. If the servant ignores their needs, it will cause those grants to be removed"
Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said:
"If anyone strokes an orphan's head, doing so only for Allah's sake, he will have blessings for every hair over which his hand passes; and if anyone treats well an orphan girl or boy under his care, he and I shall be like these two in Paradise," putting two of his fingers together."
