them inwardly in the heart, and to obey the Bestower of blessings with one’s limbs. Accordingly, the poet said:

The blessings you have bestowed upon me have entitled you to three things from me:
my hand, my tongue, and my veiled conscience.

“My hand” means the limbs; “my tongue” means the tongue; and “my veiled conscience” is the heart. Thus, you believe in your heart that the blessing is from Allah, and you affirm this with your tongue, as He, Exalted is He, says:

“And proclaim the blessings of your Lord.” [Surah al-Duha]

And you thank Allah with your limbs by obeying Him. For this reason, some scholars defined gratitude as obedience to the Bestower of blessings.

This is supported by the Prophet’s statement, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: “Indeed, Allah commanded the believers with what He commanded the messengers.” Allah, Exalted is He, said:

“O messengers, eat from what is wholesome and do righteous deeds.”

And He, Exalted is He, said:

“O you who believe, eat from the wholesome things We have provided for you.”

There is also a particular form of gratitude: the prostration of gratitude.

His statement, “when blessings are renewed,” means when a new blessing occurs, as distinct from an ongoing blessing. If we were to say that it is recommended for a person to prostrate for an ongoing blessing, he would always be in prostration, since Allah says:

“And if you were to count the blessings of Allah, you could not enumerate them.” [Surah Ibrahim: 34]

Ongoing blessings are constantly with a person: sound hearing, sound sight, sound speech, and bodily well-being—all of these are blessings.

Breathing is likewise among the blessings, as are other things. The sunnah has not prescribed prostration for such matters. However, if someone were afflicted with shortness of breath and then Allah relieved him of it, and he prostrated in gratitude to Allah, he would be correct, because the ease of his breathing after its difficulty is a renewed blessing.