in a manner that corresponds to the very nature of the blessing. So if Allah grants you wealth, let the signs of that wealth be visible in your clothing, your home, your conveyance, your almsgiving, and your expenditures, so that the mark of Allah’s favor in the form of wealth can be seen upon you. If He grants you knowledge, let the traces of that knowledge appear in your life as well: spread it among the people, teach it to them, invite them to Allah, and so on. In short, gratitude must be of the same kind as the blessing Allah has bestowed upon you—or even broader.
Consequently, whoever disobeys Allah has not fulfilled gratitude for His favor; he is, Allah forbid, a denier of that blessing. The Exalted says, “Have you not seen those who exchanged the favor of Allah for disbelief and led their people to the home of ruin—Hell, in which they will burn? What an evil resting place!” (Q 14:28–29). A sinner, therefore, has failed to show thanks for Allah’s gift, and his gratitude is diminished in proportion to his disobedience. Even if someone keeps repeating with his tongue, “I thank Allah; praise belongs to Allah,” while he persists in sin, he is not truthful in what he says, for gratitude means rising in obedience to the Bestower.
Gratitude brings two great benefits. First, it is an acknowledgment of Allah—of His right, His bounty, and His kindness. Second, it is a means to the increase of blessings: whenever you give thanks, Allah enlarges His favors upon you. Allah, the Exalted, says, “And when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will surely increase you; but if you are ungrateful, My punishment is indeed severe’” (Q 14:7). Thus, when a person shows gratitude, Allah increases him; but if he is ungrateful, he exposes himself to Allah’s punishment, and Allah’s punishment is severe. The Exalted also says, “O you who believe, eat of the good things We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah” (Q 2:172). So give thanks to Allah for this blessing that He has bestowed upon you and made easy for you to attain—it reached you without any power or effort on your part—these wholesome provisions that