and extract from it ornaments to wear. And you see the ships ploughing through it, so that you may seek of His bounty and so that you might give thanks.” 1. The texts conveying this meaning are exceedingly numerous.

Moreover, gratitude is the path of Allah’s messengers and prophets—the most elect of Allah’s creation and those nearest to Him. May Allah’s blessings and peace be upon them all.

Allah—glorified is He—praised the first messenger He sent to the people of the earth for his gratitude. The Most High says: “O descendants of those whom We carried with Noah! He was indeed a grateful servant.” 2. Noah is singled out for mention here, and the servants are addressed as his descendants, as an indication that they should follow his example. He is their second father, for after the Flood Allah allowed no line of descent among creation to continue except through his descendants, as the Most High says: “And We made his descendants the sole survivors.” 3. Thus, He commanded the descendants to emulate their father in gratitude, for he was a truly grateful servant.

He—glorified is He—also praised His intimate friend Abraham for his gratitude for His blessings. He says: “Indeed, Abraham was a model of excellence, devoutly obedient to Allah and wholly upright, and he was not one of the polytheists. He was grateful for His blessings. He chose him and guided him to a straight path.” 4. He—glorified is He—thus informed us that Abraham was a model, meaning an exemplar to be followed in goodness; that he was devoutly obedient to Allah, meaning that he obeyed Him and remained steadfast in obedience to Him; and that he was wholly upright, meaning that he turned toward Allah and away from all besides Him. He then concluded these qualities by stating that Abraham was grateful for His blessings, thereby making gratitude the crowning quality of His intimate friend—peace be upon him.

He—Mighty and Majestic—commanded His servant Moses—peace be upon him—to receive what He had bestowed upon him of prophethood