History of Thanksgiving Holiday in America

• Thanksgiving was created by the Pilgrims. • The first Thanksgiving started in 1621. • During that time, the Pilgrims came to America and settled to

live here and made homes. • They celebrated the first Thanksgiving because they wanted

to give thanks and appreciation for making it through the long journey.

• They were happy and shared the feast with Wampanoag Indians.

• There were sports, games, food, dancing, singing, and revelry. They prepared foods such as venison and fowl

Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving Holiday in America

• Most Americans took this idea from the history of the first Thanksgiving.

• Every year in November, family and friends all gather and celebrate Thanksgiving.

• They eat turkey, pumpkin pie, breads, corn, sweet potatoes, and plenty of other traditional foods.

• They give thanks and appreciation for what they have done for them

Shukr or gratitude/thanksgiving to Allah and people is a way of life

In Islam

Quran on Shukr

And if any is grateful truly his gratitude is (a gain) for his own soul; but if any is ungrateful truly my Lord is Free of All Needs Supreme in Honor. Namal,27:40

And remember! your Lord caused to be declared (publicly): "If ye are grateful I will add more (favors) unto you; but if ye show ingratitude truly My punishment is terrible indeed.“ Ibrahim,14:7

Quran

Truly Man is to his Lord ungrateful; And to that (fact) he bears witness (by his deeds); And violent is he in his love of wealth. Adiyat,100:6,7,8,9

Then do ye remember Me; I will remember you. Be grateful to Me and reject not faith. Baqarah,2:152

Nay but worship Allah and be of those who give thanks . Zumar,39:66.

Should I not be a grateful slave?

Hadith

• Ibn Abbaas (ra) narrates that Rasulullah (saws) said: "Whoever has attained four things has attained the goodness of this world and the Aakhirah. These are:

1. A heart which makes Shukr; 2. A tongue which makes Zikr; 3. A body which adopts Sabr when overtaken by

trials and tribulations; and, 4. A wife who is chaste and does not abuse the

wealth of her husband." (Baihaqi)

Believer is shakir and sabir

Suhaib ibn Sinan narrated that the Prophet said: • "How remarkable is the case of the believer!

There is good for him in everything, but this is not the case for anyone except for the believer.

• When the believer receives any good, he is thankful to Allah, and gets a reward.

• And when some misfortune befalls him, he endures it patiently, for which he is (also) rewarded."

What is Shukr?

• It means to thank, glorify, admire, honor, Allah (SWT) and the people through words and actions.

• One should receive favors with humility and express his need to Allah (SWT), the Bestower of favors.

• One must mention that he is unworthy of the favors bestowed upon him, and that • It is only due to the Mercy and Generosity of

Allah(SWT) that such favors were bestowed.

Imam Ibnul Qayyim Al JawziyahShukr comprises five things:• 1. Humbleness before Allah• 2. Love for Him• 3. Acknowledgement that the bounty is from Him• 4. Praising Him for His bounty• 5. Not using His bounty in a manner that He

dislikes Shukr also demands from us that:• • Bounty should not cause us to forget the giver of

bounty.• • A little difficulty should not cause us to forget

abundant bounty.• [Madarij Al-Salikeen, 2/244]

Opposite of Shukr is Kufr

• Kufr is to forget, deliberately neglect or hide the favors that have been given to you.

• You do not acknowledge through words or deeds that you have been blessed or the one who has given you the blessing.

• When we read the story of the two men and the gardens in Surah Kahf the richer companion is accused of kufr

Shakur is one of 99 names of Allah

• For He will pay them their wages, nay, He will give them (even) more out of His Bounty: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Ready to appreciate (service). Fatir, 35:30

• According to al-Ghazali, God is absolutely grateful, because of His unlimited multiplication of the reward of the pious, as they shall receive eternal bliss in Paradise.

Prophets were people of gratitude

• Abraham was indeed a model devoutly obedient to Allah (and) true in faith and he joined not gods with Allah: He showed his gratitude for the favors of Allah Who chose him and guided him to a straight way.

• Al Nahl,16:120-121

Noah, Solomon and Daud (AS)

• O ye that are sprung from those whom We carried (in the Ark) with Noah! verily he was a devotee most grateful. Isra,17:3

"Work ye sons of David with thanks! But few of My servants are grateful!" Saba,34:13

THE NATURE OF SHUKR

• Accepting that all benefit is from the True Benefactor (Mun'im-e- Haqeeqee),

• The effect of Shukr is to be happy with the Benefactor and

• Be ever ready to render obedience to Him, is the meaning of Shukr

Shukr for our body organs

• Eyes-to employ it in only lawful avenues, like reading Qur'an, acquiring knowledge, studying the wonderful creation of Allah. We must restrain it from viewing prohibited objects

• Ears-use in listening to the Zikr of Allah and to prevent it from listening to evil and futile talk

• Tongue- engage in Zikr, in expressing hamd (praise), thanaa(glorification) and shukr of Allah, and to restrain it from complaining in adversity and from all evils

Stages of Shukr

• Initial Stage-is at the intellectual level. It is the correct understanding of the true meaning of shukr and the realization of the honor of the Benefactor

• Final stage of shukr is the manifestation of its effect on one's body, movements and all states. In short, all the beliefs, acts of worship, mundane acts, moral and social life of the shaakir (the one who is truly grateful to Allah) will be in conformity with the Shari'ah.

How to do Shukr?

• 1- To make Shukr is to be happy, content and thankful to Allah (SWT) for whatever He has given us.

• 2-The Prophet (pbuh) said: “He who does not thank Allah for small favors will not thank Him for great ones”.

• 3- The Desirability of Prostrating out of GratitudeAbu Bakr (ra), said that when the Prophet (SAW) heard any news that made him glad, he would fall down prostrating to Allah (SWT)

How to do Shukr• 4- Perform two rakah Salah or give charity.• 5- The Prophet (pbuh) said: "The one who does

not give thanks to people does not give thanks to Allah”

• 6-To use one’s possessions, wealth, status, intelligence or health in halal way for the cause of Allah.

• 7- To mention all that Allah Has bestowed upon us.

Duha,93:11 But the Bounty of your Lord Rehearse and proclaim

Fault in expression of Shukr

• Saying alhumdolillah (all praise is due to Allah) is in vogue in the Muslim community

• You ask someone, “How’s life?”• Alhumdolillah…(could have stopped there but no..)

you know the economy is bad…my boss is terrible… work hours..etc

• In order to attain meaningful ‘shukr’ these pollutants of complaints and self-pity must be removed

• To taste the sweetness of Shukr, say “alhumdolillah” and do not taint it with any excuses or complaints

Why would one not do Shukr?

• 1. Many people wrongly think that money is the only valuable thing to be considered as blessing and ignore the other blessings of Allah such as hearing, vision, sanity and health.

• The Prophet (SAW) said, "There are two blessings which many people lose: health and free time for doing good." (Bukhari)

• Aisha(R) said: "Whenever a servant drinks a drop of water which gets into his body and leaves it with no harm, then Shukr is due."

2- Not aware that there are people who have less than them.

• One may not give thanks to his Allah because he is unaware of the people who have less bounties than him.

• Prophet (SAW) said, "Look at those people who have less than you and never look at those who have more than you, this will ensure that you will not look down on Allah's blessings." (Mslim,1530)

3- Ignoring Allah’s attributes and rules

• The real ignorant person is the one who gets deceived by the amount of money he has or by his position or his power.

• He forgets the fact that as Allah has granted, He may also take the blessings away

Say, O Allah! Lord of Power (and Rule) You give Power to whom You will and You take away power from whom You will, and you endue with honor whom you will, and humiliate who you will. In Your Hand is the good. Verily, You are Able to do all things."

Effects of Shukr in this world• A study conducted by Emmons and McCullough in 2003

found that people who were "consciously more grateful :• Felt better about their lives• Were more optimistic, • Were more enthusiastic, • Were more likely to have made progress toward

important personal goals, • Were more likely to have helped someone else, • High energy positive moods, and • Actually had fewer illnesses.

Categories of Shukr• 1. Thankfulness expressed by the tongue [shukr bi'l-lisan]. This

constitutes the acknowledgment of the benefaction [ni'ma] with an attitude of humble acceptance [istikana].

• 2. Thankfulness expressed by the body and the limbs [shukr bi'l-badan wa 'l-arkan]. This is the characteristic indication of loyalty and readiness to serve [al-wafa' wa 'l-khidma].

• 3. Thankfulness expressed by the inner feeling [shukr bi'l-qalb]. This requires a careful balance between the visible display of appreciation and the constant preservation of a sense of reverence.

More categories of Shukr

1. Shukr al-'alimin-the thankfulness of the learned scholars, in which case it will be among the subjects they discuss

2. Shukr al-'abidin-thankfulness of the dedicated worshippers, in which case it will be a feature of their actions

3. Shukr al-'arifin- it is expressed through their honest devotion to Allah in all their states and conditions. Their worshipful obedience, servitude, and remembrance of Allah is entirely due to His enabling guidance [tawfiq], His gracious favor, His help, His power and His strength

Common and special gratitude

1. "The thankfulness of the common folk [shukr al-'amma] is for food and drink and clothing

2. Thankfulness of the elite [shukr al-khawass] is for the spiritual values [ma'ani] conferred upon their hearts.“

Prophet David (peace be upon him) once said: "My God [Ilahi], how can I thank You, when my thankfulness to You [shukri la-ka] is itself a blessing from among Your gracious favors [ni'ma min ni'ami-ka]?" So Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) conveyed to him by way of inspiration : "Now you have thanked Me indeed! [al-ana qad shakarta-ni]."

Levels of Shukr

• Level 1- Make shukr in ease and comfort. It is Allah's mercy that He considers this shukr .

(Manaazil-us-Saa'ireen by Al Harawi)• Level 2-Make shukr even when in difficulty. There

are 2 types of people in it:1. Find pleasure in difficulty or Rada of Allah2. Comfort makes them happy, they find no

pleasure in difficulty. They make shukr in difficulty also because of respect Allah.

Ibn al Qayyim

How to Attain the Highest Level of Shukr?

• 1. Constant awareness of the fact that we are the slaves of Allah so that, considering the lowness of us slaves and the greatness of the Master, we will never under-estimate His bounties on us.

• 2. Constant love for Allah so that, considering that all our conditions – good and bad – are the decision of Allah and the decision of the beloved is always pleasing, we will find as much pleasure in difficulty as we find in ease

Difference between Shakir and ShakurSHAKIR Simple adjective (thankful and grateful)

SHAKURIntensive [very thankful; most grateful; extremely appreciative].

Gives thanks for what is available [Mawjud)

Gives thanks for what is unavailable [Mafqud].

Gives thanks in response to immediate delivery [badhl]

Gives thanks when delivery is subject to deferment [matl].

Gives thanks for the provision of benefit [Naf']

Gives thanks for the withholding of benefit [Man'].

Gives thanks for the granting of gifts [‘Ata'],

Gives thanks for trial and tribulation [Bala'].

Benefits of Shukr

1- Helps us focus our minds on Allah-

• Life’s distractions and attractions make difficult to focus on Allah.

• Gratitude reminds us that everything that happens to us is from Allah.

“And whatever of blessings and good things you have, it is from Allah” [al-Nahl 16:53]

2-Gratitude helps in warding off punishment from Allah

Why should Allah punish you if you have thanked (Him) and have believed in Him.And Allah is Ever All-Appreciative (of good), All-Knowing. An-Nisa, Verse #147)

We know that if Allah were to punish us for our negligence, He would be justified for it.

Allah provides us a way to escape that punishment by being thankful to Him.

3-Gratitude helps us to enjoy what we have and not have greed for more

• Prophet (SAW) said: “…if the son of Adam has one valley, he will wish that he had a second, and if he had two valleys, he would wish that he had a third. The stomach of the son of Adam will be filled only with dust (i.e., he is never satisfied)…” (Reported by Ahmad, 5/219; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1781)

• Gratitude is a sense of fulfillment that comes from a sense of knowing that Allah has already blessed us with what we need

4-Gratitude trains our minds to focus on the right things in life

• Gratitude motivates us to find possibilities and solutions and not the negatives associated with problems

• When we let our minds look for problems, we see plenty of them

• If we rather look away from problems and focus on possibilities and go for solutions, we will get those too

5-Gratitude helps us recognize other people’s favors to us

• The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said as narrated by Abu Hurairah: “He who does not thank people, does not thank Allah” (Ahmad, Tirmidhi).

• He also said: “Whoever does you a favor, then reciprocate, and if you cannot find anything with which to reciprocate, then pray for him until you think that you have reciprocated him” Abu Dawood (1672).

• In another hadith, he said: “Whoever has a favor done for him and says to the one who did it, ‘Jazak Allahu khayran,’ has done enough to thank him” [ Saheeh al-Tirmidhi].

6-Gratitude trains us to seek personal fulfillment with less

• Gratitude helps us to be patient, accepting of life’s trials

• It makes us “low maintenance” in our demands and expectations.

• This trait reduces our burden on those around us, • It makes our company more pleasing to others

instead of leaving us always unhappy, more demanding, and impossible to please because of unending requirements.

7-Gratitude helps increase one’s blessings.

And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: ‘If you give thanks (by accepting Faith and worshipping none but Allah), I will give you more (of My Blessings); but if you are thankless, verily, My punishment is indeed severe. [Ibrahim 14:7]

Let’s, therefore, make thanking Allah part of morning and evening remembrances (azkars) to get more of Allah’s blessings in our lives.

8-Gratitude helps us to get the pleasure of Allah in the hereafter

• Abul-Abbaas al-Qurtubi said: “. . . gratitude for blessings – even if they are few – is a means of attaining the pleasure of Allah, may He be exalted, which is the noblest situation of the people of Paradise.

• When the people of Paradise say, “You (Allah) have given to us what You have not given to anyone among Your creation,”

• Allah will say to them: “Shall I not give you something better than that?”

• They will say, “What is it? Have You not brightened our faces, and admitted us to Paradise and saved us from Hell?”

• Allah will say, “I bestow My pleasure (RIDWAN) upon you, and I will never be angry with you after that.”

[Al-Mufhim lima ashkala min Talkhees Kitaab Muslim (7/60, 61)].

DuaProphet took the hand of Mu’aadh ibn Jabal and said: “O Mu’aadh, by Allah I love you, by Allah I love you.” Then he said, “I advise you, O Mu’aadh, do not fail to say this after every prayer:

O Allah help me to remember You, to thank You and to worship You properly.