A doctor thanks Allah for being blessed with medical knowledge by treating the poor, GI

A scholar thanks Allah for the favor of knowledge by spreading it among people, GI

The Grand Imam (GI) of Al-Azhar said that Almighty Allah can be appreciative of His servants in two ways: First, Almighty Allah praises their good deeds. The Noble Qur’an abounds with verses praising the believers such as: “Successful indeed are the believers who establish prayer and give zakāh.”

Second, Almighty Allah shows His servants practical gratitude, for the He rewards His servants abundantly for the little they introduce. There are many verses in the Qur’an that confirm this meaning. Almighty Allah says, “The example of those who spend their wealth in the cause of Allah is that of a grain that sprouts into seven ears, each bearing one hundred grains. And Allah multiplies the reward even more to whoever He wills. For Allah is All-Bountiful, All-Knowing” (Qur'an 2:261). The reward from Almighty Allah is given seven hundred fold, and may be doubled again, and these verses motivate a person to do good deeds, no matter how small.

During the 15th episode of his TV program Imam Al-Tayyeb Talk,, His Eminence explained that Almighty Allah is infinitely Generous beyond what the human mind can comprehend due to the vastness of His Divine Generosity. The Noble Qur'an says, “Whoever comes with a good deed will be rewarded with what is better” (28:84), and says, “Who will lend to Allah a good loan which Allah will multiply many times over?” (2:245).

These verses denote that the Almighty Allah rewards His servants abundantly for the little work on their part. His Eminence added that no matter how many good deeds the servant does, they are not comparable to the eternal bliss with which the Almighty rewards them, because the former is limited, and the latter is unending.

The Grand Imam explained that Hamd means fine praise and appreciation of Allah’s Attributes, such as Al-Majid (the Most Glorious One), Al-Ghafur, Ash-Shakur. Shukr on the other hand involves a deeper meaning which is thanking a good doer for a deed. Divine appreciation can be described as genuine Shukr while a person’s thanking of Almighty Allah cannot be genuine because it is in exchange for a benefit received. Genuine thankfulness is expressed without waiting for a reward or exchanged benefit. In this sense, Almighty Allah thanks His servants and multiplies their rewards out of His grace and not owing to the servants’ entitlement. On the other hand, thanking Allah is binding on servants, as it is deserved by Almighty Allah.

His Eminence added that Allah's servants should keep thanking Allah persistently, provided that this gratitude transcends the verbal level into the practical level. If someone is blessed with money, they should give part of it to charity, such as paying zakah, helping relatives, and the like. This is how to thank Allah's favors truly. The Noble Qur'an says, “Give to close relatives their due, as well as the poor and (needy) travelers. And do not spend wastefully” (Qur'an 17:26). This verse contains a clear divine command to give close relatives their due.

His Eminence concluded that knowledge is also liable to zakah; a scholar must pass his knowledge to others by teaching them. This is the zakah on knowledge; otherwise, they are not thankful for this blessing. A physician who has been given medical knowledge should treat the poor and care for them. He added that there is another type of gratitude, which is thanking people, in accordance with the Prophet’s saying, “He who does not thank people is not thankful to Allah,” so thanking other humans is required by Sharia, and justified by this hadith as one of the virtuous deeds.