In the life lived by every human being, there will never be a feeling of disappointment. The emergence of this feeling of disappointment usually comes from a fact of life where a person must feel that hopes or desires cannot be realized or achieved. A feeling of disappointment that is allowed to continue can become a disease of the heart, so that it can interfere with the health of the soul and mind.
Therefore, we as human beings must not let the feeling of disappointment in us last too long, so we have to find a way to get rid of it. Accepting a reality that is not in accordance with expectations is indeed difficult and difficult to get rid of it. However, there is one powerful way to get rid of the feeling of disappointment that is within us, which is to be grateful for what we have now.
In Islam, every Muslim must be grateful for the blessings that have been given by Allah SWT. This is not without reason because by being grateful, a person will experience many benefits that are good for the health of the soul and mind. One of the benefits that someone will feel when they are grateful is that the heart and mind become more relieved, so that the burden of life seems to be reduced.
So that we can all be grateful more easily, then we need to know what gratitude is, the meaning of being grateful in Islam and its benefits for ourselves. So, see this review until it’s finished, OK?
The Meaning of Being Grateful in Islam
Quoted from the book Lessons on Gratitude by Muhammad bin Salih Al-Munajjid, based on language, syakartulooha or syakartu lillaah which means to be grateful for God’s favors. In addition, gratitude can also be interpreted as a feeling of pleasure, so that in Arabic, gratitude, namely syakaro-yaskuru-syukron “which means praise to the giver of goodness. Therefore, it can be said that being grateful is saying or expressing gratitude to Allah for the blessings of life that have been given.
Meanwhile, according to understanding, being grateful means acknowledging virtue. Meanwhile, the meaning of being grateful according to language terminology, being grateful means the effect of food on what is in the animal’s body. In this case, grateful animals can be interpreted as animals that rarely get sick even with minimal food.
Hadith About Being Grateful
Being grateful is one of the good feelings for Muslims. In Islam, being grateful is already in several Hadiths, including:
1. Hadith of Ibn Abbas
From Ibn Abbas, he said: “Rasulullah SAW said, “Two pleasures that most people deceived by him, namely health and free time.”
From the hadith of Ibn Abbas about being grateful, it reminds someone that there are good health and spare time that are often forgotten. Therefore, with the hadith of Ibn Abbas, it makes one aware to always thank Allah SWT for the blessings of life that have been given.
2. Hadith of Imam Al-Ghazali
The Prophet said, “Whoever says subhanallah, then for him 10 goodness. Whoever says laa ilaha illallah, then for him 20 goodness. Whoever says Alhamdulillah, then for him 30 goodness.”
For Muslims, it is better to give thanks through dhikr every day, then you can get many times of goodness. By doing this, Muslims will become even closer to Allah SWT and will be given convenience in all their affairs.
3. Hadith of Ibn Majah
“From Aisyah, the Prophet’s habit, when he witnessed things he liked, was to say ‘Alhamdulillahilladzi bi ni’matihi tatimussalihaat.’ Whereas when he witnessed unpleasant things he said ‘Alhamdulillah ala kulli haal.
The Hadith of Ibnu Majah about being grateful gives awareness to Muslims that in undergoing various kinds of situations, Muslims must continue to praise the names of Allah SWT. Mentioning Allah’s names in everything is a form of gratitude for Muslims for the blessings of life and the trials of life that He has given.
Al-Quran Verses About Being Grateful
Gratitude is also found in the verses of the Al-Quran, including:
1. Al-Quran Surah Ibrahim Verse 7
(Remember) when your Lord announced, “If you are grateful, I will surely increase (favors) to you, but if you deny (My favors), in fact My punishment is really very severe.”
2. Al-Quran Surah Al-Jasiyah Verse 12
It is Allah who has subjected the sea to you so that ships can sail on it by His command, so that you may seek some of His bounty, and so that you may be grateful.
3. Al-Quran Surah An-Naml Verse 40
Someone who has knowledge from the holy book * 550) said, “I will come to you with that (throne) before your eyes blink.” When he (Sulaiman) saw the (throne) in front of him, he said, “This is a gift from my Lord to test me whether I am grateful or kufr. Whoever is grateful, then indeed he is grateful for (good) himself. Whoever commits kufr, then verily my Lord is Rich, Most Glorious.”
*550) What is meant by the holy book in this verse is the book that was revealed before Prophet Sulayman as, namely the Torah and the Zabur.
4. Al-Quran Surah Al-Qasas Verse 73
By His mercy, He has made for you the night and the day so that you may rest at night, that you may seek some of His bounty (during the day), and that you may give thanks to Him.
5. Al-Quran Surah Al-Baqarah Verse 172
O you who believe, eat what is good that We have bestowed upon you and be grateful to Allah if you truly worship Him alone.
6. Al-Quran Surah Luqman Verse 12
Indeed, We have truly given wisdom to Luqman, namely, “Be thankful to Allah! Who is grateful, actually he is grateful for himself. Whoever is ungrateful (not grateful), verily Allah is Rich, Most Praised.”
The Benefits of Being Grateful
Being grateful is highly recommended in Islam because it has so many benefits. Here are the benefits of being grateful that we can feel
1. Life Becomes More Peaceful
Living life peacefully and peacefully will make your heart, mind, and soul live more calm. If things like that continue to be improved, then the body’s health will continue to improve. In fact, happiness will be easy to realize even though you are facing various kinds of problems.
Life becomes more peaceful is one of the benefits of being grateful that we can feel. Being grateful is one way so that we don’t compare to others and always enjoy the things they have.
2. Maintained Mental Health
Being grateful provides benefits in the form of mental health is maintained or can improve mental health. This can happen because being grateful can make a person think more positively, so that every behavior and attitude he does is more concerned with the positive first. In fact, with gratitude, the life that is lived becomes full of hope and is confident that it can achieve that hope.
3. Sleep Hours Become Regular
Having a healthy lifestyle is something that is mandatory and must be done so that you are not susceptible to disease and become more enthusiastic in carrying out various kinds of activities. One healthy lifestyle that needs to be applied in everyday life is having good sleep hours and quality sleep.
Things like that can be done if the soul and mind that we have are in a calm state and don’t think excessively or even overthink . Well, making the soul and mind calmer can be done by being grateful. With gratitude, it will be easier for us to accept everything that has been passed today.
4. Easier to Make Friends
Having lots of friends will certainly be very fun and life will be more cheerful because you can meet lots of people. Someone can have many friends because they have good communication skills. Apart from that, it can also be because they often help other people who are in trouble.
The next benefit that can be felt when we are grateful is that it is easier to make friends. The more friends, the more connections we have. In addition, when you are in trouble, many friends will offer help, so that problems become lighter and easier to solve.
5. Avoid Revenge
One of the diseases of the heart that can give rise to hostility is revenge. Besides that. someone who holds a grudge in himself could harm himself and others. This feeling of resentment can arise from various kinds of events, such as feeling excessively sad, not liking the strengths of other people, and so on. Therefore, we need to take care of ourselves and our hearts so that we are not easily affected by revenge.
This resentment can be eliminated by increasing gratitude. In other words, when you want to feel revenge, you should always remember what you already have, so that revenge can be avoided.
6. Protect Yourself To Avoid Negative Things
The next benefit of being grateful is keeping yourself away from negative things. In other words, self-control becomes easier. If, we are used to avoiding negative things, then we are not easily stressed and feel happier in living this life.
In this case, negative things that can be avoided by being grateful, such as feelings of envy, feelings of envy, prejudice, and kufr favors. The more often we are grateful, the more accustomed to avoid negative things. That way, you will be more protected and accustomed to doing positive things.
7. Strengthen a Relationship
Everyone who is in a relationship, be it a husband and wife relationship, a sibling relationship, a friendship relationship, and so on, definitely wants to be close and not break up easily. Through being grateful, a relationship can continue to be strengthened because one another will not make excessive demands, so that a relationship that is presented becomes happier and carries a more positive aura.
Therefore, this gratitude is often presented in family life, so that family relationships can become closer. It would be nice, being grateful that this has been taught to children since childhood, so that when they become adults their lives can be calmer and more peaceful.
8. Increase Body Immunity
Currently, maintaining the body’s immune system is something that must be done. Even better, if the immunity in the body continues to be improved, so that the body will not be easily exposed to viruses. Endurance or body immunity can be increased by being grateful. Someone who is easily grateful for the blessings he has received today will make his sense of optimism continue to increase.
A positive feeling within will also get rid of negative feelings that can have a bad impact on the body. From that positive feeling, immunity in the body can experience an increase. This increased immunity can occur because white blood cells increase.
9. Increase Faith
Increasing gratitude can not only provide benefits for physical health, but can also provide benefits for one’s faith. In this case, someone who is grateful will feel that what he is receiving now is enough, so he never compares himself with other people, especially in looking at the world.
Someone who is grateful indicates that he has been able to accept with full sincerity and pride for all the things he has received. In other words, being grateful is one’s way of expressing gratitude to Allah SWT. Therefore, in Islam, being grateful can be used as a way to increase the faith of a servant of Allah. So, never forget to be grateful every day.
10. Life Becomes Full of Blessings
With gratitude, the life lived by someone makes this life more blessed. This blessing can also be felt through the abundant fortune that is obtained. In fact, his living needs can be fulfilled even though in terms of (nominal) income it is still far from sufficient. Therefore, it can be said that being grateful sometimes something that happens cannot be measured only by numbers.
Even though we have received sufficient sustenance, we must not forget the favors of Allah SWT in the future. Therefore, we also need to give charity to those in need so that we are given smooth sustenance.
Those are some of the benefits of being grateful, hopefully after knowing every benefit of being grateful, it will be easier for all of us to express gratitude to Allah SWT for the blessings that have been given.
Forms of Gratitude
Quoted from the book Lesson on Gratitude by Muhammad bin Salih Al-Munajjid, gratitude is divided into three forms, namely gratefulness of the heart, gratitude for all members of the body, and verbal gratitude.
Gratitude Heart
Gratitude is a feeling of gratitude that is done by believing that God has given all the pleasures of this life and gives what his servants need.
Gratitude All Members of the Body
Gratitude for all members of the body is a feeling of gratitude that is expressed by carrying out every good practice and staying away from every one of His prohibitions.
Oral Gratitude
Oral gratitude is gratitude in the form of saying praise and gratitude for the blessings that God has given. Praise and gratitude can be done when someone does dhikr which can be done after performing the obligatory prayers.
Grateful Example
To understand more deeply about being grateful, we also need to know some examples of being grateful. Here is an example of giving thanks to Allah SWT.
- Always remember every promise of Allah
- Always remember the consequences of turning away from Allah
- Increase faith and piety
- Always remember and keep the name of Allah in the heart
- Always say thank you to both parents
- Stay away from negative things and heart disease.
Conclusion
Gratitude is an expression of feeling for all the blessings that have been given by Allah SWT and can be done by saying or remembering Allah’s names in the heart. Gratitude is a feeling that can be applied in everyday life and can provide benefits for yourself. In addition, with gratitude, Muslims will become closer to Allah SWT, so that they can be given convenience in living life.