Gratefulness has got to do with thinking. People generally don’t think. I haven't found anyone in life who truly thinks. One has to think about everything: one's hair, nails and everything else. If I want to raise my right hand, I can raise it. If I want to raise my left hand, I can raise it. One has to think about how one's brain is controlling everything. On every finger, on every part of the body, our mind has full control. This is why, the Quran and Hadith give utmost importance to thinking, contemplation and reflection. One who doesn’t think will not be grateful. He would lead life like an animal. One has to develop the qualities of contemplation and reflection. This is the basic matter.
Shukr or gratefulness comes with thinking. If you don’t think, you won't be grateful. When I saw this glass, I thought that glass cannot speak. Speech has been specially given by God to humans. When I realized this I thought that speech is God's blessing. The mountains, oceans, galaxies, solary system or glass cannot speak. God has given human beings the power to speak. Thinking on these lines brings gratefulness. If you don't think, you won't arrive at any thing.
In the morning I spoke to a person who said that throughout history humans have beeing fighting and waging war on one another. I said this was a case of misuse of freedom. God has granted freedom to humans. Freedom is God-given. No one enjoys freedom. Stars, planets, oceans, mountains and animals have no freedom. Animals follow their instinct, while humans possess freedom. Not misusing one's freedom is God's quality. God has all kinds of power, no one can have control over His freedom. But God never misuses His freedom and power. It is human sublimity to adopt the divine quality of not misusing one's freedom.
God's neighbourhood is destined for such people: فِي مَقْعَدِ صِدْقٍ عِنْدَ مَلِيكٍ مُقْتَدِرٍ (54:55) This is nearness to God. But the human reality is: وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ (39:67) God granted a great gift to humans, but instead of being grateful they began to misuse it. All this comes with thinking. If you don’t think, you won't understand. If you think, you will realize that freedom is a great gift. Freedom is God's quality which He has endowed on humans.
God gave this to humans so that they don’t misuse it. In doing so he would raise his status as God's creature and show himself worthy of living near Him. Gratefulness has got to do with thinking. People generally don’t think. I haven't found anyone in life who truly thinks. One has to think about everything: one's hair, nails and everything else. If I want to raise my right hand, I can raise it. If I want to raise my left hand, I can raise it. One has to think about how one's brain is controlling everything. On every finger, on every part of the body, our mind has full control. This is why, the Quran and Hadith give utmost importance to thinking, contemplation and reflection.
One who doesn’t think will not be grateful. He would lead life like an animal. One has to develop the qualities of contemplation and reflection. This is the basic matter.
