Chapter 6 - On Thanksgiving

Abu Basir said that he told Imam Sadiq (a.s): “I have been told that God will not take away anyone's eyesight unless He grants him a reward in Heaven.” Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “There is some thing there (in Heaven) that is even better.” Abu Basir asked: “What is it?” The Imam (a.s) replied: “It is seeing God's face.”

“Nothing has descended from Heaven as rare and as dear as the following: submission to God, piety and certitude.”

“The one who eats and gives thanks has the same reward as the one who fasts (who will be rewarded in the Hereafter). The reward of one who is healthy and gives thanks is the same as the one who is suffering and is patient. The reward of one who gives charity and is thankful is the same as the one who is deprived but content.”

Imam (a.s) told him not to underestimate thanksgiving.”

“God will not open the doors to thanksgiving for anyone without opening up a door to increased blessings.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “Give thanks to God whenever you do a good deed, and seek God's forgiveness whenever you do something bad.”

Sanan ibn Zarif said: “I told Imam Sadiq (a.s) that I am afraid to be reprimanded. He asked me why. I said I asked God for a thousand Durhams, and He granted it to me. I asked him for a servant, and He gave me one. Then Imam Sadiq (a.s) asked me what I have to say now. I said praise be to God. He said: “What you have said is better than what you have been given.”

Sae'dan ibn Yazeed said: “I told Imam Sadiq (a.s) that I saw some one having hard times in life while I had a good life. Whatever I reach out for, I find in it what I like. Sometimes I see other people who are superior to me but they do not have these blessings. I am afraid this might be a sort of divine test for me”. The Imam (a.s) said: “Have no fear as long as you give thanks for these blessings.”

The Noble Prophet (a.s) said: “A man from among my nation goes to the bazaar, and buys a shirt-like dress for a half or a third of a Dinar, and praises God whenever he wears it. His sins are forgiven before this dress reaches down to his knees.”

The Noble Prophet (a.s) said: “Whenever a believer gets full, stops eating and drinking and praises God, God grants him the reward of one who fasts. God is Grateful and loves to be praised.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “One of the men among you will drink some water, and God will reward him with Heaven for this act.” He added: “He brings the cup of water next to his lips, and calls God's name. Then he drinks some water and takes the cup away while he is still thirsty. Then he praises God and takes another sip, and he repeats this again. God will reward him with Heaven for this act.”

“People are divided into two groups. Some people are healthy, and others are in trouble. Praise God for being healthy, and ask God for His Mercy upon those in trouble.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “Do not look at those in trouble since this will make them sad.”

It has been narrated that Imam Baqir (a.s) did not like to hear those in trouble say they seek refuge in God from trouble.

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “God will record ten good deeds for the one who makes ablution and prostrates to thank God. He will also wipe out ten of that man’s major sins.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “One day when the Prophet (a.s) went to the mosque with his companions, he prostrated for so long that they suspected his health was endangered. When he finally sat up they told him that he had prostrated for such a long time that they suspected he had died. He said: “Gabriel descended to me from near God the Almighty and said: O' Muhammad! Your Lord sends His greetings and says: “I have never hurt your feelings concerning anyone of your nation who loves you. I have not done anything for a believer to please him or hurt him unless it was good for him.”“ The Prophet (a.s) added: “At that time I had no property to give away in charity, and no slave to free, so I fell prostrate in worship and thanked God and praised Him for this.”

Abi Ubeydeh al-Haz'za said: “When I was accompanying Imam Baqir (a.s) on the way to Medina, he suddenly fell prostrate in worship. When he finished he stood up and asked me if was surprised. I replied: “May I be your devoted servant! Yes.” He said: “I remembered a blessing that God had given me, and found it hard to go along my way without thanking God for it.”

Hisham ibn Ahmad said: “I was accompanying Imam Kazim (a.s) around Medina when he suddenly got off his horse and fell prostrate in worship, and stayed in that position for a long time. Then he mounted his horse. I asked him: “May I be your devoted servant! Why did you prostrate for such a long time?” He said: “I remembered a blessing that God gave me, and I felt I would like to give thanks to my Lord.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “Whenever God grants someone some blessings and he realizes that with his heart and expresses his gratitude, God will order an increase in his blessings before he finishes his words. God the Almighty has said: “If ye are grateful, I will add more (favors) unto you.” [The Holy Quran: Ibrahim 14:7]

Imam Baqir (a.s) said: “The thanksgiving of God's servants is non-stop.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “Be a good neighbor for blessings!” He was asked what this means. He replied: “Thanking the One who has granted you the blessings.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “Be a good neighbor for God's blessings, and try not to let blessings leave you and go to someone else. Beware that once blessings are gone they are hard to return.”

Imam Ali (a.s) said: “Lost blessings are rarely recovered.”

“Fear God, and be humble; grateful and give thanks to Him. There was a man among the Israelite tribe who had a dream one night. In his dream a man told him that he would only live half of his life in comfort, and asked him which half he preferred. He told the man that he had a partner. When he woke up the next morning, he told his wife about his dream. She told him to choose the first half, and he accepted. Then they got wealthy receiving constant blessings. His wife kept informing him about needy neighbors and relatives, and he would help them. They continued donating whatever they received, and giving thanks to God. One night the man had another dream and saw the same man. He told him that half of his life was now over, and asked his opinion. Again he told the man that he had a partner. When he woke up the next morning he told everything he saw in his dream to his wife. She said: “God gave us blessings, and we gave thanks, and God is most faithful.” Then that man appeared in his dream again and said: “Now you will live in comfort all your life.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “There are three acts which will not be changed by anything: Praying during times of hardship, asking God for forgiveness, and giving thanks when receiving blessings.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said that it is written in the Old Testament: “Be thankful to whoever is kind to you, and be kind to whoever thanks you, since blessings last when you are thankful, and blessings vanish when you are ungrateful. Giving thanks causes an increase in blessings, and protects from drastic changes.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “Whoever thanks God for what he acquires, God will increase his gain, but whoever does not thank God for what he acquires is endangering the blessings, and is not secure from revenge and changes.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “I asked God the Almighty for some property, and He granted it to me. Then I feared that this might be a cause of being tested or reprimanded.” The Imam (a.s) then continued: “I swear by God that if you give thanks, this will not be the case.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “I like to thank God one hundred times whenever a new blessing is granted to me.”

“Thanks be to God for His various blessings.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “Whenever the Prophet (a.s) received a blessing which he liked he said: “Praise is for the Benevolent, the Beautiful God.” And whenever he received something that he disliked, he said: “Praise be to God in all cases, and praise be to God in this case.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “Whenever something pleasing came up for God's Prophet (a.s), he said: “Thanks God for this blessing.” And whenever something saddening happened, he said: “Praise be to God in all cases.”“

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “Thanking for blessings is abstaining from the forbidden. Ultimate expression of gratitude is saying “Praise be to God, the Lord of the two worlds.”

Imam Reza (a.s) said: “One who praises God for His blessings has expressed his gratitude, and this praise is higher than the blessing.”

Imam Baqir (a.s) said that God the Almighty told Moses the son of Imran: “O' Moses! Give thanks that are due to being thankful to Me.' Moses asked “How can I give thanks that are due to being thankful to You when the blessings are yours, and being thankful for them is another blessing from You, too.” God the Almighty said: “Just realizing that being thankful for My blessings is in itself a blessing, is the right of being thankful to Me.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “One who whole-heartedly realizes a God-given blessing has expressed the due thanks.”

Imam Baqir (a.s) said: “The steady increase of God's blessings will not be interrupted unless the gratefulness of the people stops.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “Whoever is granted blessings by God and feels this by his heart and gives thanks for it, then God will order an increase in his blessings before he finishes his words. This is what is meant by God the Almighty's statement: “If ye are grateful, I will add more (favors) unto you.” [The Holy Quran: Ibrahim 148:7]

In Rauzat al-Vaezeen it is narrated that Imam Sadiq (a.s) said that once when the Prophet (a.s) was passing by a group of people who were trying to lift a rock he asked them why they were doing so? They said that they were trying to find out who was the strongest. The Prophet (a.s) told them that he could tell them whom the strongest man was if they wished him to do so. When they said they wished to hear what the Prophet (a.s) had to say, he said the one who is the strongest is the one who does not engage in sin or do wrong deeds whenever he is satisfied; one who does not utter but what is right when he is angry; and one who does not do what is unjust when he is powerful.

Imam Hussein (a.s) said: “God will make you needless of the people if you prefer God's pleasure over the people's dissatisfaction. And God will leave you alone if you prefer the people's pleasure over God's dissatisfaction.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “God the Almighty granted a group of people some blessings, but they did not give thanks, and it became a burden for them. God brought a calamity upon some people and they persevered. Then they got blessings from their perseverance.”

Ameer al-Momineen (a.s) said: “Whenever you start to get some blessings, do not lose the rest of the blessings by not giving enough thanks.”

Imam Baqir (a.s) said: “Do not associate with the rich. Before doing so you recognize the blessings that God has given you. But if you associate with the rich, you no longer recognize the blessings that God has given you.”