A Reminder About Gratitude We Often Forget

Sometimes we think we need something new to make us happy.

A better day. More money. A nicer home. A different situation. Perhaps something we have been making du'a for, hoping that once we have it, everything will finally feel right.

But Allah draws our attention to something much closer.

Allah says:

“If you are grateful, I will certainly give you more. But if you are ungrateful, surely My punishment is severe.” Surah Ibrahim 14:7

What a beautiful promise.

Allah tells us that gratitude is a means of increase. Yet when we hear the words “I will give you more”, we might immediately think of more money, more possessions or more of the things we want.

But Allah's increase can be in so many forms.

More barakah in what we already have. More contentment in our hearts. More closeness to Him. More opportunities to do good. More appreciation for the blessings that were already around us.

Sometimes the greatest increase is not receiving something new, but being given the ability to appreciate what we already have.

Have you noticed your blessings?

Think about how many blessings can disappear into the background of an ordinary day.

Waking up safely.

Having food to eat.

Being able to walk, speak, see and hear.

Having a place to sleep.

Having clean water.

Having people who care about you.

Being able to make wudu, stand in salah and open the Qur'an.

These things can feel ordinary because we experience them every day. But ordinary does not mean insignificant.

How different would our days feel if we stopped every now and then and thought, “Allah gave me this.”

The glass of water beside you? Allah provided it.

The meal in front of you? Allah provided it.

The ability to make salah? A blessing from Allah.

Even the fact that your heart remembers Him and your tongue can say Alhamdulillah is itself a blessing worth being grateful for.

We can become so familiar with blessings that we stop noticing them.

Shukr helps us notice them again.

Shukr does not mean life is always easy

Being grateful does not mean pretending that everything is perfect.

A grateful Muslim can still feel sad. She can still become tired, worried or disappointed. She can still make du'a for something she desperately wants.

Gratitude simply means that difficulty does not make us blind to the blessings that remain.

Ya'qub عليه السلام experienced immense sadness after the loss of Yusuf عليه السلام, yet he continued to turn to Allah. His sadness did not prevent him from having hope in his Lord.

Sometimes we are so focused on the one thing that is missing that we forget the many things Allah has already placed in our lives.

Perhaps there is something you have been asking Allah for, and you are still waiting.

Keep making du'a.

But while you wait, do not forget to say Alhamdulillah.

You can want more while still being grateful for what you have.

Make shukr part of your everyday life

Shukr does not have to be complicated.

When you wake up, before rushing into the day, take a moment to thank Allah for giving you another morning.

When you eat, actually notice the food in front of you. Think about how it reached you and how Allah made it possible for you to enjoy it.

When something good happens, do not simply enjoy the moment and move on. Say Alhamdulillah and recognise the One who gave you that blessing.

You can also make more time for dhikr throughout your day. If you are travelling, waiting somewhere or simply have a few quiet minutes, use that time to remember Allah.

A small digital dhikr counter can be handy too. It is easy to carry in a pocket or bag, so you can keep it with you while travelling or going about your day and use those little moments for dhikr.

You could also create a simple habit before sleeping. Think of three blessings Allah gave you that day and thank Him for each one.

They do not have to be extraordinary.

Perhaps you enjoyed your favourite meal.

Perhaps someone made you smile.

Perhaps you finished something you had been worried about.

Perhaps you simply had a peaceful moment with a cup of tea.

Look for the blessings.

You may be surprised by how many you find.

The more you notice, the more you appreciate

There is something beautiful about shukr.

It changes the way we look at our lives.

A person can have many blessings and still feel as though she has nothing because she is constantly looking at what she lacks.

Another person may have a simple life but feel rich in gratitude because she notices the little gifts scattered throughout her day.

Shukr teaches the heart to pause.

Instead of immediately thinking, “I need more,” we begin to think, “Alhamdulillah, look at what Allah has already given me.”

And perhaps this is one of the ways Allah gives us more.

Not only by increasing what is in our hands, but by increasing the gratitude in our hearts.

So the next time you catch yourself thinking, “I wish I had more,” pause for a moment and ask yourself:

“Have I thanked Allah for what I already have?”

Perhaps there are blessings around you that you have become so familiar with that you no longer notice them.

Look again.

Your life may be filled with gifts you have simply stopped seeing.

Allah has given us a beautiful promise:

“If you are grateful, I will certainly give you more.”

So let us begin with what is already here.

Let us notice the little things.

Let us say Alhamdulillah with our tongues and mean it with our hearts.

And let us remember that every blessing, whether great or small, is an invitation to turn back to the One who gave it.

Alhamdulillah for the blessings we notice, and Alhamdulillah for the blessings we do not even realise we have.