“Whoever is not grateful to the people, he is not grateful to Allah.” 

(Jami’ Tirmidhi: 1954)

From the above hadith it has been made clear to us that if we truly want to be grateful to Allah then we must be grateful to the people as well. We are grateful to Allah (swt) because of all the blessings he has bestowed us.

People, on the other hand, who help us (or at least try to help us) make a positive change in our lives which compels us to be thankful to them too.

Who are these people I’m talking about? They are not only our family, friends, and neighbors but also the ones who indirectly help us. There are two kinds of people: one who help us directly and others who do it indirectly. Nevertheless, we should be thankful to both kinds of people varying on the level of their importance in Islam.

City cleaners and garbage collectors keep our city clean and hygienic. We often think this meager kind of work is very trivial; but if we think about it, without them we wouldn’t be able breathe fresh air. They are worthy of our gratitude. How can we show our gratitude towards them? Well, we should educate our family, friends and especially kids to avoid throwing waste on the road side or in a public area, rather use the allocated bins; and educate them to be respectful to the cleaners and never look down on them.

The law enforcers; police officers, helps us indirectly. We rely on police after Allah for security reasons. Most of us dislike police officers just because they give us penalty for parking on the wrong side or for over speeding. But that doesn’t mean they oppress us in the name of law. They are merely doing their duty; ensuring the city is safe for the public. We should be grateful to them by not giving them trouble or not blocking the road or double-parking and be kind to them. By properly following the rules and regulations we also save other people from trouble.

People as consumers in the economic sphere help each other unintentionally. When a person involves in a transaction he or she gives profit to someone or the other, this is also described as the ‘invisible hand theory’. Allah is our Provider, but He has put others as a means of helping us to attain our sustenance.

Let’s head back to the close ones’- neighbors. We must be kind and gentle to them even if they are not with us. Allah says in the Quran:

“Worship Allaah and join none with Him (in worship); and do good to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, Al-Masaakeen (the poor), the neighbor who is near of kin, the neighbor who is a stranger, the companion by your side…”

                                                                                                                    [al-Nisaa’ 4:36]

Whilst being kind to them we must also be grateful to them as they may become the means for us to attain jannah. Do not shy away to meet them or invite them to your house. If they are non-Muslims then it is your chance to call them to Islam by displaying the perfect Islamic characteristics and make them love Islam. The following hadith verifies their importance in Islam.

Mujahid narrated: “Abdullah bin Amr had a sheep slaughtered for his family, so when he came he said: ‘Have you given some to our neighbor, the Jew? Have you given some to our neighbor, the Jew? I heard the Messenger of Allah saying: ‘Jibril continued to advise me about (treating) the neighbors so (kindly and politely), that I thought he would order me (from Allah) to make them heirs.” (Vol. 4, Book 1, Hadith 1943)

So, in islam our neighbors play a very important role, and we should honour the way our Prophet taught us to do so.

School is the place where we spend half of our lives. Teachers play a vital role in shaping our future. As we know, teaching requires extreme patience, so we should be grateful to our teachers for it. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) is the best teacher and his students are an example, they were highly respectful in his (ﷺ) presence.

It was narrated that Mu’awiyah bin Al-Hakam As-Sulami said: “…May my father and mother be ransomed for him, he neither did hit me nor rebuke me nor revile me. I have never seen a better teacher than him, before or after…” (Sunan an-Nasa’i 1218)

It has become a trend to call teachers by names to such an extent that after many years that particular teacher is remembered not by his/her real name anymore. Allah forbids us to mock each other and call each other by bad names:

“O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them; nor let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name of disobedience after [one’s] faith. And whoever does not repent – then it is those who are the wrongdoers.” 

                                                                                                         (Surah al-Hujarat: 11)

Thus, I conclude my gratitude series hoping that we stay humble and thankful for everything we have or had because the sixth pillar of Imaan is preordainment, be it good or bad. Gratitude is a vital aspect of Islam, it is incumbent upon us to express gratitude firstly to Allah, then our parents and then those near and distant from us. We have to show kindness and appreciation, even if it is just a simple ‘Thank you’. O Allah help me to remember You, express gratitude to You and worship You in the best Manner.