in gratitude.”

“The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, stood in prayer until his feet swelled. He was asked, ‘Do you do this when Allah has forgiven your past and future sins?’ He replied, ‘Should I not be a grateful servant?’”

Ibn al-Murahhal said:

I am not discussing the evidence, and I concede the weakness of this position. I am merely reporting that it is the position of Ahl al-Sunnah.

Shaykh Taqī al-Dīn said:

Attributing this to Ahl al-Sunnah is wrong. Once a position has been shown to be weak, how can it be attributed to the people of truth? Moreover, scholars known for adhering to the Sunnah—as many as Allah has willed—have explicitly stated that gratitude is expressed through belief, speech, and deeds. The Quran and Sunnah also establish this.

I said:

The chapter on the prostration of gratitude in jurisprudence is too well known to need mentioning. Indeed, “the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said concerning the prostration in Surah Sād, ‘David performed it in repentance, whereas we perform it in gratitude.’”

Then which of the leading scholars of the Sunnah said that gratitude consists only in belief?

Ibn al-Murahhal said:

This has been reported. The report cannot be rejected, but it may be considered problematic. One may say, “This is a problematic position.”