The Discovery of Divine Blessings

Man has been granted numerous blessings from God. The greatest form of worship for man is to acknowledge these blessings. Thanksgiving is in fact such an acknowledgement. Thanksgiving is without doubt the greatest religious act, whereas not thanking God is quite the reverse. It is irreligious.

Nothing announces all these divine blessings as such. For instance, the global supply of oxygen is perpetual. But man has never had this announced to him. There are many such divine blessings as are received by man at all times. But this whole process goes on without mention.

In such a situation, how should a person express his gratitude or acknowledgement as an act of worship? There is only one way of doing so. That is, one should continue to discover God’s blessings through contemplation.

Thanksgiving follows on naturally after discovering one’s blessings. One who never makes such a discovery will certainly never be able to show any gratitude.

That is why such great importance is attached to reflection in the Traditions. According to one tradition: “There is no worship equal to reflection.” (Shu‘ab al-Iman, al-Bayhaqi, Hadith No. 4326) Contemplation means serious thinking. The act of thinking takes place in the mind, and is the source of all our actions. The more one thinks, the deeper the meaning which will be discovered by him. The same is true of thanksgiving. It is only by thinking that anyone discovers God’s limitless blessings.

With this discovery one’s heart and mind brim over with gratitude. The greater the sense of discovery the greater the degree of thanksgiving. It is contemplation that leads one to discovery and to elevated levels of thanksgiving.