1053 - أشكَرُ النّاسِ‏

1053. The Most Thankful of People

3337.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : أشكَرُ الناسِ أقنَعُهُم ، وأكفَرُهُم لِلنِّعَمِ أجشَعُهُم .¹

3337.Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘The most thankful of people is he who is most content whilst the most ungrateful of people is he who is most covetous.’²

3338.الإمامُ زينُ العابدينَ عليه السلام : أشكَرُكُم للَّهِ‏ِ أشكَرُكُم للناسِ .³

3338. Imam Zayn al-Abidin (AS) said, ‘The most thankful among you to Allah is he who is most thankful towards people.’⁴

1052 - حقيقةُ الشُّكرِ

1052. True Thanksgiving

3330.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : شُكرُ كُلِّ نِعمَةٍ الوَرَعُ عن مَحارِمِ اللَّهِ .¹

3330.Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘[True] thanksgiving for every bounty lies in restraining oneself from the things that Allah has prohibited.’²

3331.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : إذا قَدَرتَ على‏ عَدُوِّكَ فَاجعَلْ العَفوَ عَنهُ شُكراً لِلقُدرَةِ علَيهِ .³

3331.Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘When you vanquish your enemy, let your pardon of him serve as thanksgiving for the power [given to you] over him.’⁴

3332.الإمامُ الباقرُ عليه السلام : اِستَكثِرْ لِنفسِكَ مِنَ اللَّهِ قليلَ الرِّزقِ تَخَلُّصاً إلى الشُّكرِ .⁵

3332.Imam al-Baqir (AS) said, ‘Regard even a little sustenance from Allah as too much for yourself so that you can be thankful.’⁶

3333.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : شُكرُ النِّعمَةِ اجتِنابُ المَحارِمِ ، وتَمامُ الشُّكرِ قولُ الرجُلِ : الحَمدُ للَّهِ‏ِ رَبِّ العالَمِينَ .⁷

3333.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘Thanksgiving for a bounty is accomplished through avoidance of prohibited things, and an expression of complete thanks is when a man says, ‘All praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.’⁸

3334.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : مَن أنعَمَ اللَّهُ علَيهِ بنِعمَةٍ فَعَرَفَها بقَلبِهِ ، فقد أدّى‏ شُكرَها .⁹

3334.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘He whom Allah favours with the bestowal of a bounty and who then acknowledges it with his heart has verily conveyed [true] thanks for it.’¹⁰

3335.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : كانَ رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله إذا وَرَدَ علَيهِ أمرٌ يَسُرُّهُ قالَ : الحَمدُ للَّهِ‏ِ على‏ هذِهِ النِّعمَةِ ، وإذا وَرَدَ علَيهِ أمرٌ يَغتَمُّ بهِ قالَ : الحَمدُ للَّهِ‏ِ على‏ كُلِّ حالٍ .¹¹

3335.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) narrated, ‘When the Prophet (SAWA) was faced with a situation that pleased him, he used to say, ‘Praise be to Allah for this bounty’, and when he was faced with a situation that made him sorrowful, he used to say, ‘Praise be to Allah in every situation.’¹²

3336.مصباح الشريعة - فيما نسبه إلى الإمام الصّادق عليه السلام - : أدنَى الشُّكرِ رُؤيَةُ النِّعمَةِ مِنَ اللَّهِ مِن غَيرِ عِلّةٍ يَتَعَلَّقُ القَلبُ بها دُونَ اللَّهِ والرِّضا بما أعطاه، وأن لا تَعصِيَهُ بِنِعمَتِهِ و تُخالِفَهُ بِشي‏ءٍ مِن أمرِهِ ونَهيِهِ بِسَبَبِ نِعمَتِهِ .¹³

3336. It is narrated in Misbah al-Sharia (The Lantern of the Path) in what has been attributed to Imam al-Sadiq (AS): ‘The lowest level of thankfulness is to see the bounty as coming from Allah directly without attaching the heart to any other cause save Allah Mighty and Exalted [does not consider another cause for it]. It consists of being satisfied with what is given, and not disobeying Him by means of His bounty, nor opposing Him in any of His commands and prohibitions as a result of that bounty.’¹⁴