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Him profusely, thinking this would immediately bring me more. I finally realized that life is about our souls and the physical world is only an illusion. When God provides me with money, and I am thankful, I have an opportunity to grow my soul by paying zakat, by using the money in worship and observance of God. If you keep thanking God, you can see a snowball effect of opportunities to grow your soul and you will be in a happier state of mind. Thank You, God, for giving us the gift of thankfulness.
[21:80] And we taught him the skill of making shields to protect you in war. Are you then thankful?
I always like to see how verses in the Quran can apply to me and my life. There are different ways people can engage in war—physical combat, face-to-face verbal disputes, battles of words on the internet, and war within and against yourself to deal with your ego. One way to win these wars is with shields—coverings, words inspired by God, research done to let the truth be known, and for our inner war, prayer and meditation. Thank You, God, for the shields You have given us.
[32:9] He shaped him and blew into him from His spirit. And He gave you the hearing, the eyesight, and the brains; rarely are you thankful.
This verse is telling us to be thankful for just life itself. We know this is another opportunity for us to repent from our original sin of siding with Satan. When life seems very hard, God willing, we remember to be thankful, knowing the alternative could have been condemnation without this chance. And we have the tremendous gift of our hearing, eyesight and brains. Life would be so much harder if we couldn’t hear or see. Or if we didn’t have our amazingly complex brain—humans don’t fully understand it. They say we can only use about 10 percent of it at a time. But they don’t really know; they’re only guessing. We know from Quran that our brain is a source for knowing (16:78) and for verifying information (17:36).
Thank You, God, for life, hearing, eyesight and brains.
[36:35] This is to provide them with fruits, and to let them manufacture with their own hands whatever they need. Would they be thankful?
God is reminding us to be thankful for fruits and the ability to use our hands. Imagine life without our hands. We wouldn’t be able to build things, type things, or do most things. Thank You, God, for the delicious fruits of the world, and for our hands, and may You keep us healthy and prosperous.
[40:61] GOD is the One who designed the night so you can rest in it, and the day lighted. GOD bestows many blessings upon the people, but most people are not thankful.
God bestows many blessings upon us; this verse is pointing to night for rest and the lighted day. We can thank God for sleep. It feels great waking up feeling refreshed and starting your day. It almost feels like every morning I’m reborn. Without light, we would have a difficult time moving around and accomplishing things. Thank You, God, for the night to rest and the light of the day, and all the blessings You bestow on us.
[56:68] Have you noted the water you drink? … [56:70] If we will, we can make it salty. You should be thankful.
How refreshing is a glass of water, especially during Ramadan, when breaking your fast. It feels magical when going down your throat into your body. Thank You, God, for fresh water.
[76:9] "We feed you for the sake of GOD; we expect no reward from you, nor thanks.
Not just food, but everything we do in our lives, needs to focus around doing it for God, not to be seen or thanked by anyone else. We need to constantly say “Thank You, God” for everything. Please help us to be thankful to You every second of every day of every year for our entire lifetime, here and in the Hereafter.
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Do you know the power of appreciation? 85% of people are unhappy with their career. We all have goals and we are always trying to keep up with the Jones'. Goals are great to have, but don't let life pass you by without enjoying the journey you are on. Count your blessings not your problems. Don't regret not appreciating what you had when you had it including the people in your life. We get so focused on where we are headed we forget where we are and what we have now. The purpose of life is to find your purpose ... . (LinkedIn Quote)
When I read this, it got me thinking. We, as Submitters, know our purpose is to worship God alone (45:22, 51:56, 90:4).
[45:22] GOD created the heavens and the earth for a specific purpose, in order to pay each soul for whatever it earned, without the least injustice.
[51:56] I did not create the jinns and the humans except to worship Me alone.
[90:4] We created the human being to work hard (to redeem himself).
[14:7] Your Lord has decreed: "The more you thank Me, the more I give you." But if you turn unappreciative, then My retribution is severe.
[32:9] He shaped him and blew into him from His spirit. And He gave you the hearing, the eyesight, and the brains; rarely are you thankful.
When was the last time we stopped to really acknowledge the things we're thankful for? To thank Him for our innumerable blessings?
Gratitude means thankfulness. It includes counting our blessings and noticing the simple pleasures, and acknowledging everything that we receive comes from God.
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