Gratitude is the Way to Salvation:

Gratitude means thankfulness and gratefulness. It is nothing more than appreciation by a recipient. Incorporating gratitude into our lives can allow us to remember that we are alive and have much to be thankful for. How do you know if you are experiencing a sense of gratitude? The most overt way is expressing your appreciation and thanks for what you have. This can happen in a number of different ways.

Gratitude is a positive emotion that involves being thankful and appreciative and is associated with several mental and physical health benefits. When you experience gratitude, you feel grateful for something or someone in your life and respond with feelings of kindness, warmth, and other forms of generosity. According to psychology, “in general terms, gratitude stems from the recognition that something good happened to you, accompanied by an appraisal that someone, whether another individual or an impersonal source, such as nature or a divine entity, was responsible”.

Thus, if you are grateful for your life's blessings and want to thank God for them, you can express your thanks in prayers and everyday deeds. Spending a few moments every night to say a small "thank you" to God, not just for your successes, but also offering your thanks even when you fail. Failures are the stepping stones to success. Asking God to guide you through your difficulties allows you to emerge strong and you can find your inner strength by focusing your energies on your goal, whatever it may be.

These "thank you, God" quotes are more than expressions of gratitude. They inspire us to have humility and sincerity. They remind us that we are lucky to have our desires fulfilled and that we should not take our blessings for granted. Many others, though not as lucky as us, have overcome their difficulties and continued on their path. Fortune favors the brave, but don't let your achievements make you overconfident or ungrateful. Stay humble because a small mistake can wipe out your fortunes.

Why is gratitude important?

 

Regularly practicing and expressing gratitude has many benefits, both short- and long-term. Psychologists have extensively researched gratitude and find it to be among the main focuses of positive psychology. Evidence suggests that people who consciously count their blessings tend to be happier and less depressed. But how?

1.    Gratitude changes our brains Research has found that people who tend to be more grateful have more brain activity in the medial prefrontal cortex, the area associated with learning and decision-making. This brain activity persisted a month later, suggesting that gratitude has long-lasting effects.

2.    Gratitude can overpower negative emotions Feeling grateful boosts positive emotions like joy and compassion while encouraging us to look for and connect with what’s good in life. This helps us switch our attention from toxic emotions, such as resentment and envy.

3.    Gratitude can help combat depression.

4.    Gratitude is a powerful catalyst for happiness. It’s the spark that lights a fire of joy in your soul.

5.    Gratitude boosts our optimism.

6.    Gratitude improves our health Besides reducing and countering negative emotions, practicing gratitude is linked to other healthy behaviors, such as working out. Research has also associated gratitude with more robust immune systems, fewer aches and pains, lower blood pressure, and a deeper, more restorative sleep. Gratitude is often a spontaneous emotion that you feel in the moment. Some people are naturally prone to experiencing it more often than others, but experts suggest that it is also something that you can cultivate and learn to practice more often.

Some examples include:

a.    Being thankful for your health.

b.    Thanking someone for the positive influence they have in your life.

c.    Doing something kind for another person to show that you are grateful.

d.    Paying attention to the small things in your life that bring you joy and peace

e.    Meditation or prayer focused on giving thanks.

Measuring Gratitude

You can evaluate your tendency to experience gratitude by asking yourself the following questions.

• a    When you look at the world, can you find many things to be grateful for?
• b.    Do you feel like your appreciation for life and other people has grown stronger as you get older?
• c.     Do you frequently experience moments where you appreciate someone or something?
• d.    Do you appreciate a wide variety of people in your life?

If you answered yes to most of these questions, you probably have a strong sense of gratitude. If you answered no to many or all, you could take steps to bring more gratitude into your life.

How to Practice Gratitude:

 

Developing a sense of gratitude isn't complex or challenging. It doesn't require any special tools or training. And the more you practice it, the better you will become and put yourself into a grateful state of mind. Here's how to do this:

Gratitude is all about recognizing and appreciating those people, things, moments, skills, or gifts that bring joy, peace, or comfort into our lives. Show your appreciation. You might thank a person to show you are thankful for them, or you might spend a moment simply mentally appreciating what you have. Showing your gratitude for those around you can help improve the quality and satisfaction of your relationships.

Impact of Gratitude:

 

The practice of gratitude can have a significant positive impact on both physical and psychological health. Some of the benefits of gratitude that researchers have uncovered include:

§  Better sleep.

§  Better immunity.

§  Higher self-esteem.

§  Decreased stress.

§  Lower blood pressure.

§  Less anxiety and depression.

§  Stronger relationships.

§  Higher levels of optimism.

Research also suggests that people who tend to be more grateful are also more likely to engage in other health-promoting behaviors, including exercising, following their doctor's recommendations, and sticking to a healthier lifestyle. Gratitude blocks toxic emotions, such as envy, resentment, regret, and depression, which can destroy our happiness.

Gratitude in Islam:

Cultivating an attitude of gratitude in Islam is fundamental. One must always be grateful so that the words "Thank You" naturally and continuously flow from one’s lips and are felt in one's heart, and one’s life will increasingly become a shining example of true Islam - a path to peace, prosperity, and abundance. One must also be grateful even for calamities and misfortunes because nothing happens except to ultimately serve a divine purpose. The fastest way to move beyond undesirable circumstances is to stop resisting them, to simply let them be, be grateful, and thus surrender and accept what is, allowing them to flow out of your life.

Becoming Thankful:

Cultivating gratitude entails acknowledging the Giver and His Oneness. Although the gift may arrive through various intermediaries, the source of all provision is Allah Almighty. Gratitude is to react with happiness by becoming acquainted with the giver of the gift. This incorporates the heart, tongue, and limbs. To express gratitude with the heart is to pray for the good of all people. To express gratitude with the tongue is to praise Allah Almighty under all circumstances. To express gratitude with the limbs is to use them in the service of Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) and to restrain them from committing what He prohibits. Allah Almighty is above all needs. Our gratitude towards Him and the proper use of all the blessings that He has bestowed on us are for our benefit.

There is wisdom in everything that happens, and our response in every situation should be one of thankfulness and praise to Allah Almighty. There is always something to be grateful for in any situation. In fact, Allah Almighty has granted us so much that perhaps we don’t even understand which ones to be more grateful for – the best of our deeds that He has enabled us to do or the worst of our deeds that He has veiled from the eyes of people and protected our dignity.

As we open the Quran, the first chapter starts with "Alhamdulillah," which is generally translated as “all praise is for God (Allah Almighty).” In reality, the word Alhamdulillah signifies gratitude in our everyday lives. Hence, when someone asks how we are, Muslims often respond with “Alhamdulillah.” Similarly, Islam teaches us to be thankful throughout the day: for waking up from sleep, after eating our meals, drinking water, etc. In this way, one’s entire life revolves around gratitude to God.

Naturally, at times we may wonder whether it is truly beneficial to be grateful to Allah Almighty. In the Quran, Allah Almighty answers, “If you are thankful, I will add more (favors) unto you but if you show ingratitude then my punishment is terrible indeed.” This verse proves that our gratitude is beneficial for us alone, and our ingratitude is harmful to us alone. The intelligent individuals who comprehend this basic teaching of Islam are referred to as those who are wise. They say "Masha ‘Allah" to anyone who is blessed. This means Allah Almighty has willed it. Know that jealousy is wrong in Islam, so don't envy the rich. Instead, think about the less fortunate. There is always plenty to be grateful for in every life. Parents should encourage their young children to recognize and be grateful for their blessings by teaching them to say "Alhamdulillah" and "Masha ‘Allah" at appropriate times throughout each day. Teaching them to recite Takbir will help them appreciate Allah's greatness.

When a little older they should understand that Allah Almighty sees everything and will be displeased if we fail to show our gratitude. Teach them that Allah loves us but there will be consequences in this life or in the next world, or both if we do not show gratitude for our blessings. One of the most important aspects of the Islamic Meditation Program is the cultivation of gratitude in Islam because not only is gratitude the heart and essence of Islam, but it is also the key to attracting abundance, prosperity, peace, and success.

The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) continually reminded his followers to be ever grateful to their Lord, and the term “Shukur,” meaning “one who is grateful,” is often used in Islam as a name of great honor among Muslims. Furthermore, the Holy Qur’an time and again emphasizes that gratitude is essential to Islamic character and that exercising gratitude in Islam is the means to greater abundance.

There are varying levels of understanding Islam and Islamic Spirituality, yet based on the life of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), gratitude in Islam is the most essential reason for Islamic practice and worship. According to Islam, one of our foremost duties is to be grateful to God for all of His blessings. We can describe three levels of thankfulness:

³  To realize and appreciate all blessings by and within the heart.

³  To say thanks with the tongue.

³  To express gratitude by doing righteous deeds.

 

In other words, the first level is the appreciativeness and gratefulness that we feel in our hearts. Then we fortify that thankfulness through our speech. And the third level is when we prove by our deeds that we are truly thankful to Allah Almighty.

Much like appreciating someone, recognizing someone for their achievements is a wonderful way to practice gratitude. It also changes their internal narrative as well from underappreciated and down to appreciate and thriving. The power of gratitude can apply not only to yourself but also to every social interaction you have. I am grateful for all the times someone has gone to the effort to highlight my achievements.

You don’t have to do all these every day; I love to pick and choose which ones will be the most fun each day! Once you start, you will find it difficult to stop as the joy it brings is so fulfilling. Just remember to be grateful for yourself and as much as you express your gratitude outward into the world. You need to express gratitude for yourself. If you do that, you will be an endless source of beauty, kindness, and light.

I am grateful you took the time to read this, and I hope you do something today that brings you and the world a little joy.

Final Thoughts:

Gratitude can transform not only our world but also the world around us. What happens to us is a matter of perspective, and gratitude is the most effective way to shift your perspective from "why me" to "try me."

By expressing appreciation, you can brighten someone’s entire day and sometimes even change their life with a small act of kindness. If you seek to lead a joyful and fulfilling life, integrating gratitude into your daily routine will help foster a positive mindset. A positive mindset and attitude lead to a contented life!