In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
There are many lessons we can learn from the story of the man with 2 gardens from Surah Kahf. The story also warns us against ingratitude.
Allah Almighty says,
وَاضْرِبْ لَهُم مَّثَلًا رَّجُلَيْنِ جَعَلْنَا لِأَحَدِهِمَا جَنَّتَيْنِ مِنْ أَعْنَابٍ وَحَفَفْنَاهُمَا بِنَخْلٍ وَجَعَلْنَا بَيْنَهُمَا زَرْعًا ﴿٣٢﴾ كِلْتَا الْجَنَّتَيْنِ آتَتْ أُكُلَهَا وَلَمْ تَظْلِم مِّنْهُ شَيْئًا ۚ وَفَجَّرْنَا خِلَالَهُمَا نَهَرًا ﴿٣٣[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:32-33]
And present to them an example of two men: We granted to one of them two gardens of grapevines, and We bordered them with palm trees and placed between them [fields of] crops. (32) Each of the two gardens produced its fruit and did not fall short thereof in anything. And We caused to gush forth within them a river. (33)
What did this man do? Instead of being grateful to Allah for the blessings, he bragged about him being wealthier and more honored than the other man. When he went back home, he looked around at his gardens in pride, thinking that it would never end. He began to doubt that the Day of Judgment would ever come. And he decided that, if it ever did come, then Allah would give him a lot of good things because he was blessed in this world.
Allah Almighty says,
وَكَانَ لَهُ ثَمَرٌ فَقَالَ لِصَاحِبِهِ وَهُوَ يُحَاوِرُهُ أَنَا أَكْثَرُ مِنكَ مَالًا وَأَعَزُّ نَفَرًا ﴿٣٤[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:35-36]
وَدَخَلَ جَنَّتَهُ وَهُوَ ظَالِمٌ لِّنَفْسِهِ قَالَ مَا أَظُنُّ أَن تَبِيدَ هَـٰذِهِ أَبَدًا ﴿٣٥﴾ وَمَا أَظُنُّ السَّاعَةَ قَائِمَةً وَلَئِن رُّدِدتُّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّي لَأَجِدَنَّ خَيْرًا مِّنْهَا مُنقَلَبًا ﴿٣٦
And he had fruit, so he said to his companion while he was conversing with him, "I am greater than you in wealth and mightier in [numbers of] men." (34) And he entered his garden while he was unjust to himself. He said, "I do not think that this will perish - ever. (35) And I do not think the Hour will occur. And even if I should be brought back to my Lord, I will surely find better than this as a return." (36)
So then some major calamity hit his gardens, wealth and things of luxury reducing everything to ruins.
Allah Almighty says,
وَأُحِيطَ بِثَمَرِهِ فَأَصْبَحَ يُقَلِّبُ كَفَّيْهِ عَلَىٰ مَا أَنفَقَ فِيهَا وَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا وَيَقُولُ يَا لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أُشْرِكْ بِرَبِّي أَحَدًا ﴿٤٢[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:42]
And his fruits were encompassed [by ruin], so he began to turn his hands about [in dismay] over what he had spent on it, while it had collapsed upon its trellises, and said, "Oh, I wish I had not associated with my Lord anyone." (42)
Ingratitude is a state that grips all people except a few who Allah protects and guides to the reality of gratitude. Ingratitude is of varying degrees -- associating partners with Allah, acts of disobedience and not using one's blessings for what they are meant to be used is deep ingratitude. We cannot hide this ingratitude from Allah and indeed from our own conscience. Allah knows our intense love for wealth and things of this life and it being the reason for our disobedience.
Allah Almighty says,
إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ لِرَبِّهِۦ لَكَنُودٌ۬ (٦) وَإِنَّهُ ۥ عَلَىٰ ذَٲلِكَ لَشَہِيدٌ۬ (٧) وَإِنَّهُ ۥ لِحُبِّ ٱلۡخَيۡرِ لَشَدِيدٌ (٨) ۞ أَفَلَا يَعۡلَمُ إِذَا بُعۡثِرَ مَا فِى ٱلۡقُبُورِ (٩) وَحُصِّلَ مَا فِى ٱلصُّدُورِ (١٠) إِنَّ رَبَّہُم بِہِمۡ يَوۡمَٮِٕذٍ۬ لَّخَبِيرُۢ (١١)[Qur'an, Al-Adiyat 100:6-11]
Surely, man is ungrateful to his Lord and surely he is a witness against that! Surely he is passionate in his love for good things. Knows he not that when that which is in the tombs is over-thrown, and that which is in the breasts is brought out -- surely on that day their Lord shall be aware of them!
Are you grateful? Do you thank Allah everyday for what you have in your life? If you don't, you should. Allah stands ready to give you more if you are grateful, but if you show ingratitude, wait for the punishment.
Allah Almighty says,
وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِي لَشَدِيدٌ ﴿٧[Qur'an, Ibrahim 14:7]
I (Allah) swear that if you are grateful, I will add more (of My Blessings) unto you; But if you show ingratitude, truly My punishment is terrible indeed.
People who lack gratitude always seem to find themselves living in poverty or not having the lifestyle they wish to have. You can tell people by what they have and by what they get just by seeing them and looking at how they dress, walk, and act. You can usually tell if they have gratitude by the way they present themselves. This is why when you look at rich people, you notice they get richer. They have a debt of gratitude and show it everyday. If a person does have abundance but does not show gratitude, he will eventually lose it.
Gratitude is a trait in the Qur'an to which Allah describes the most exalted of people. He describes Prophet Nuh and Prophet Ibrahim, Allah grant them peace, as being people of extremely grateful.
Allah Almighty says,
ذُرِّيَّةَ مَنْ حَمَلْنَا مَعَ نُوحٍ ۚ إِنَّهُ كَانَ عَبْدًا شَكُورًا ﴿٣[Qur'an, Al-Isra' 17:3]
O descendants of those We carried [in the ship] with Noah. Indeed, he was a grateful servant. (3)
The highest rank is a mark of perfection in man that they are grateful. That is why the devil, when he asked Allah for respite, "He said: "Because You have thrown me out of the way, lo! I will lie in wait for them on Your straight way: Then will I assault them from before them and behind them, from their right and their left: nor will You find, in most of them, gratitude (for Your Mercies)." [Qur'an Al-'Araf 7:16-17]
It is almost that we are created for gratitude and acknowledging Allah's kindness to us by service and the devil's key aim is to take gratitude away from us.
Gratitude to Allah is that Allah should not be disobeyed with His blessings. Allah gives us body to obey Him, a heart to remember Him, a tongue to praise Him, and money and wealth to spend for His sake.
The gratitude that we give to Allah is a means for our own benefit. Allah doesn't need anything from us. But if we are grateful, Allah gives us more. Our gratitude is actually drawing on more giving from Him. He piles it on more and more blessings because we can never outdo Allah's gratitude. He is Ash-Shakur, the Rewarder of Thankfulness, the Appreciative.
Allah Almighty says,
قَالَ الَّذِي عِندَهُ عِلْمٌ مِّنَ الْكِتَابِ أَنَا آتِيكَ بِهِ قَبْلَ أَن يَرْتَدَّ إِلَيْكَ طَرْفُكَ ۚ فَلَمَّا رَآهُ مُسْتَقِرًّا عِندَهُ قَالَ هَـٰذَا مِن فَضْلِ رَبِّي لِيَبْلُوَنِي أَأَشْكُرُ أَمْ أَكْفُرُ ۖ وَمَن شَكَرَ فَإِنَّمَا يَشْكُرُ لِنَفْسِهِ ۖ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ رَبِّي غَنِيٌّ كَرِيمٌ ﴿٤٠[Qur'an, An-Naml 27:40]
Said one who had knowledge from the Scripture, "I will bring it to you before your glance returns to you." And when [Solomon] saw it placed before him, he said, "This is from the favor of my Lord to test me whether I will be grateful or ungrateful. And whoever is grateful - his gratitude is only for [the benefit of] himself. And whoever is ungrateful - then indeed, my Lord is Free of need and Generous." (40)
Allah Almighty says,
وَمَا كَانَ لِنَفْسٍ أَن تَمُوتَ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّـهِ كِتَابًا مُّؤَجَّلًا ۗ وَمَن يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ الدُّنْيَا نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا وَمَن يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ الْآخِرَةِ نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا ۚ وَسَنَجْزِي الشَّاكِرِينَ ﴿١٤٥[Qur'an, AleImran 3:145]
...If any do desire a reward in this life, We shall give it to him; and if any do desire a reward in the Hereafter, We shall give it to him. And swiftly shall We reward those that (serve us with) gratitude.
Part of being grateful to Allah is being grateful to people who used His blessings to benefit you. The one who is not grateful towards people is not going to be grateful towards His Creator.
The Muhajirun came to the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said about the Ansar, the gist of it is: "we have never seen a people like the Ansar, they comfort us when they are poor and they are generous to us when they are well off, they work in their farms and they split their harvest with us." and they thought the Ansar will get all the reward and leave them with nothing. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said "No as long as they are grateful towards them and make du'a for them."
This is a great reminder for us that when someone (anyone -- strangers or otherwise, including to your own family, children and adults) do something good for you, show your gratitude. Make du'a for them and give sincere thanks to them -- say, for example, "may Allah reward you well (jazakallahu khairan)", "may Allah bless you (barakallahu feekum)", "may Allah give you good in this world and the akhirah", etc, and mean it in your heart -- not just on your tongue. Also, oblige yourself to return the favors at some point. Teach our children this noble character.
When we show gratitude to people, Allah will reward us from His great bounty. The more grateful we are, the more good things we will get. And in some cases, these good things will start coming more rapidly than before.
May Allah make us among those who are grateful and protect us from being ungrateful and shower us with His blessings. Ameen.
Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
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