Enlightening Stories in the Quran -- Be Grateful in Times of Ease and Prosperity

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

We must be grateful and give thanks to Allah for the countless of blessings He has bestowed upon us, as He said:

وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِى لَشَدِيدٌ ﴿٧

If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe. [Quran, Ibrahim 14:7]

How do we show gratitude to Allah and give thanks to Allah? Use His blessings to obey Him and His Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

قُلْ أَطِيعُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلرَّسُولَ ۖ فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا۟ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ ﴿٣٢

Say, "Obey Allah and the Messenger." But if they turn away - then indeed, Allah does not like the disbelievers. [Quran, AleImran 3:32]

There was a place called Saba which Allah had blessed plentifully with water. The ancient kings of Saba built a big, strong dam to capture the water for irrigation, so that soon the place was thriving in all kinds of beautiful trees and fruits. But then in all this prosperity they forgot Allah, and even started worshipping the sun. So Allah punished them by taking away His blessings. Rats gnawed the dam and made holes in it. Soon the dam exploded and people and fertile land blown away.

لَقَدْ كَانَ لِسَبَإٍ فِى مَسْكَنِهِمْ ءَايَةٌ ۖ جَنَّتَانِ عَن يَمِينٍ وَشِمَالٍ ۖ كُلُوا۟ مِن رِّزْقِ رَبِّكُمْ وَٱشْكُرُوا۟ لَهُۥ ۚ بَلْدَةٌ طَيِّبَةٌ وَرَبٌّ غَفُورٌ ﴿١٥

There was for [the tribe of] Saba’ in their dwelling place a sign: two [fields of] gardens on the right and on the left. [They were told], “Eat from the provisions of your Lord and be grateful to Him. A good land [have you], and a forgiving Lord.” But they turned away [refusing], so We sent upon them the flood of the dam, and We replaced their two [fields of] gardens with gardens of bitter fruit, tamarisks and something of sparse lote trees. [By] that We repaid them because they disbelieved. [Quran, Saba 34:15-17]

This story is a lesson when we are in times of ease and prosperity, when it is very easy to forget that all these blessings are from Allah and He can take it away at any moment if He wills. May Allah make us of those who are grateful and patient. Aameen.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.

And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.

Wassalaam