Post 2: Gratitude — The Essence of Islam
In the previous post, we talked about the first sentence of the Quran:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
This declaration is not only the first verse of the first Chapter but is also found at the beginning of every chapter in the Quran, and Muslims are instructed to begin every good action in life by reciting these words. This is to remind us that as humans we are on this Earth by His Grace, and therefore we must be mindful that every one of our actions reflects the Compassion and Mercy with which God introduces Himself to us.
The First Page of the Quran
The first chapter of the Qur’an is named “Al-Fātiha”, which means “The Opener,” because it is meant to open the doors to the entire 600-page Holy Book. As mentioned in the previous post, the entire Qur’an is said to be summarized in this first chapter — which contains only 7 short sentences!
The first page of the Holy Qur’an: “Al-Fatiha” on the right page.
The first page — seen above — looks different from every other page in the Quran, which each has 15 lines of verses. In contrast, this first page has the first chapter, called Al-Fatiha, on the right, and the first 5 sentences (also called verses) of the second chapter on the left. Both are placed in the middle of the page, with beautiful decorative art surrounding them, as if to draw attention to the extra importance of the words on this opening page.
The way this opening page is arranged makes us feel like we are looking at the two leaves of a Grand Door that is about to open to reveal the treasures behind. A bit like this beautiful door below (which I once saw in a restaurant in Morocco) that opens to reveal a glittering fountain.
All this Introduction was meant to impress upon you the crucial importance of the first Chapter within the context of the Quran. And I have not even mentioned that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), called Al-Fatiha, “the Greatest Chapter of the Quran”.
Albert Einstein famously said that his greatest wish was to know “what God thinks”. So, if we were to wonder like that great genius: If God sends a 600-page book of guidancee… to all humanity… thatHe intends to last for eternity… what would be the very first word of that book?
Here it is:
“All Gratitude and Praise be to Allah, the Lord (Cherisher and Sustainer) of the entire Universe.”
Such is the importance of these words that Muslims are instructed to recite this sentence (at least) 17 times a day!
The very first word God “speaks”, and by extension, the most important lesson He wants humans to understand — in this mind-boggling mystery in which we all found ourselves that we call life — is to be grateful.
That’s it. That’s all! It is simply the realization of the immensity and beauty and perfection of all the gifts that God blessed us with by bringing us to life. In this wonderland, we call the Earth. In a much grander wonderland, called the Universe. And He does remind us that “He is the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Universe.”
How about “Praise” though? Praise springs naturally from that realization. The hard part is the full realization, which is why it is the essence of gratitude.
When one of the greatest Muslim mystics said, “The truth was a “dot,” but the ignorant multiplied it,” this is the simplicity of the truth he was referring to:
You see, if one believes in God, one must also believe that He created and therefore owns the entire Universe. But then, do you really think that the One — who can create the Earth and the Heavens with all its trillions of Galaxies and everything in them — is in need of our prayers? Or needs our money to give to charity? Or us fighting wars for him? Or us trying to convert people to his religion?
Of course, not.
If he can create every single atom in every single cell of every single human, believe me, he can make all of us believe in Him too — if that were what He’d wished. But that is not what He wishes, a fact stated repeatedly in the Qur’an.
Why not? Because He already has angels for that. Humans were created differently — endowed with the freedom to choose, and those who choose to believe in Him and love Him makes them precious to the Divine.
(This last point — about why were humans created in the first place — requires some more elaboration, and I cannot do justice to it here. I leave that to the another post.)
So, No. He does not need anything. There is nothing we can give him that He doesn’t already have… perhaps, save one: the Realization of his blessings to us. Which leads to Gratitude. Which leads to His Praise. Which leads to our loving Him with free will.
But for now, you have the answer to the question that started this post:
The first lesson of the Quran, which is also the most fundamental expectation of God from humans in Islam is one word: Gratitude. In Arabic, the word is Hamd.
To understand how much Allah loves this word, it is sufficient to note that He named His last and most beloved Messenger with it not once or twice, but three times. Yes, Muhammad is from the same three-letter root as Ha-m-d.
Bottom, right to left: Muhammad, Ahmad, Mahmud. All three names are derived from the trilateral Arabic root Ha-Mim-Dal for Hamd.
While Muhammad (pbuh) is his most well-known name — which means “He who possesses qualities deserving of overwhelming praise” — the Prophet of Islam has two other names that you may not have heard of (although they are well-known to Muslims):
Ahmad is his name in the Heavens and the angelic realms, and
Mahmud is the unique title God promises him in the afterlife.
Ahmad means “The best praiser (of His Lord)”, and Mahmud means “The Praised One”.
Both are also derived from the three-letter Arabic root Ha-m-d (shown in figure above). And they all emphasize the immensity of his gratitude, as well as the fact that he is worthy of praise.
To conclude:
If you are a Muslim reading this — emulate your Prophet, by focusing on gratitude, which is the source of all good in this world, and is the source of kindness, compassion, and mercy in our attitudes toward others.
If you are not a Muslim, now you know that the essence of Islam is very simple: Gratitude.
As any decent guest who is provided with an infinitude of gifts from a gracious host would acknowledge them with heartfelt thanks… that is all we are expected to do. To acknowledge. Like a decent guest.
That is the essence of my religion. It could be yours too.
