--- title: "Why Does Islam Put So Much Emphasis on Gratitude? | Islam Is Mercy" description: "Gratitude (shukr) is at the heart of Islamic faith. Learn what the Qur'an says about thankfulness to God and to people, and how gratitude increases blessings." lang: en url: https://islamismercy.com/en/views/gratitude-in-islam/ --- 1. [Home](https://islamismercy.com/en/) 2. [Islam's View On…](https://islamismercy.com/en/views/) 3. Why Does Islam Put So Much Emphasis on Gratitude? # Why Does Islam Put So Much Emphasis on Gratitude? Written by **Islam Is Mercy Editorial Team**· 4 min readAwaiting scholar review ## The short answer In Islam, gratitude (shukr) is one of the purest expressions of faith. The Qur'an promises that if people are grateful, God will give them more, and the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught that thankfulness to God must also show itself in thanking the people who do us good. ## On this page 1. What shukr means 2. The promise of increase 3. Blessings too many to count 4. Gratitude in worship 5. Thanking people, too 6. Gratitude and patience together 7. A closing thought Psychologists today recommend keeping a gratitude journal: writing down a few good things each day to improve wellbeing. Islam built something similar into daily life fourteen centuries ago. A Muslim says *[alhamdulillah](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/alhamdulillah/)*, meaning that all praise belongs to God, after eating, after sneezing, on waking up, when asked how they are, and in every unit of prayer. Gratitude is meant to become the background music of a believer’s life. ## What shukr means The Arabic word for gratitude, *[shukr](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/shukr/)*, has three dimensions, as Muslim scholars have long explained: recognising a blessing in the heart, acknowledging it with the tongue, and using it in ways that please the One who gave it. Gratitude for good health means using it to do good; gratitude for wealth means sharing it; gratitude for knowledge means teaching it. The [Qur’an](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/quran/) captures this active sense when it tells the family of David to *work* in gratitude, adding that few of God’s servants are truly grateful (Qur’an 34:13). The opposite of *shukr* is *kufr* — a word that means both ingratitude and disbelief. In the Qur’an, the two are closely connected: to deny the Giver is, at root, to be ungrateful for the gifts. ## The promise of increase One verse has become a kind of motto for Muslims: > وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِى لَشَدِيدٌۭ ﴿٧﴾ > And \[remember\] when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely increase you \[in favor\]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.' " [Qur'an, Ibrahim 14:7](https://quran.com/14?startingVerse=7&translations=20)Saheeh International This is a promise, not just an encouragement. Gratitude opens the door to more blessing — more contentment, more goodness, often more provision — while ingratitude closes it. The Qur’an also makes clear that God does not need our thanks. When the Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him) saw a great blessing appear before him, he said it was a test of whether he would be grateful, and that whoever is grateful benefits only himself (Qur’an 27:40). Gratitude changes *us*. ## Blessings too many to count Gratitude begins with noticing. The Qur’an repeatedly invites people to look at the ordinary miracles we take for granted: > وَٱللَّهُ أَخْرَجَكُم مِّنۢ بُطُونِ أُمَّهَٰتِكُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ شَيْـًۭٔا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلسَّمْعَ وَٱلْأَبْصَٰرَ وَٱلْأَفْـِٔدَةَ ۙ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ﴿٧٨﴾ > And Allah has extracted you from the wombs of your mothers not knowing a thing, and He made for you hearing and vision and intellect that perhaps you would be grateful. [Qur'an, An-Nahl 16:78](https://quran.com/16?startingVerse=78&translations=20)Saheeh International Hearing, sight and an understanding heart — gifts we had no part in earning. The Qur’an adds that if we tried to count God’s favours, we could never number them (Qur’an 16:18). Faith, in this sense, starts with paying attention. For more on the God to whom this gratitude is directed, see [who is Allah?](https://islamismercy.com/en/start/who-is-allah/) The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ also gave a practical tip for keeping gratitude alive in a world of comparison: > Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:Look at those who stand at a lower level than you but don't look at those who stand at a higher level than you, for that is better-suited that you do not disparage Allah's favors. In the chain narrated by Abu Mu'awiya's he said: Upon you [Sahih Muslim 7430](https://sunnah.com/muslim/55#:~:text=at%20those%20who%20stand%20at)Grade: Sahih (in Sahih Muslim) Social media trains us to look upward at people who seem to have more. This [hadith](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/hadith/) trains us to look the other way — not to feel superior, but to see how much we have been given. ## Gratitude in worship Gratitude is the reason Muslims worship at all. The Qur’an asks believers to remember God so that He will remember them, and to be grateful and not deny Him (Qur’an 2:152). The Prophet ﷺ embodied this. He would stand in night prayer for so long that his feet became swollen, and when someone asked why he did this when God had already forgiven him, he answered: > Narrated Al-Mughira: The Prophet (ﷺ) used to offer night prayers till his feet became swollen. Somebody said, to him," "Allah has forgiven you, your faults of the past and those to follow." On that, he said, "Shouldn't I be a thankful slave of Allah)? [Sahih al-Bukhari 4836](https://sunnah.com/bukhari/65#:~:text=night%20prayers%20till%20his%20feet)Grade: Sahih (in Sahih al-Bukhari) His worship came from thankfulness, not fear of falling short. Prayer, fasting and charity can all be seen in this light: not as payments to God, but as a grateful response to what He has already given. ## Thanking people, too Islam does not allow gratitude to God to become an excuse for ignoring the people through whom His gifts arrive. The Prophet ﷺ said: > Narrated Abu Hurayrah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: He who does not thank the people is not thankful to Allah [Sunan Abi Dawud 4811](https://sunnah.com/abudawud/43#:~:text=He%20who%20does%20not%20thank)Grade: Sahih — Al-Albani A word of thanks to a parent, a teacher, a colleague, a shop assistant or a spouse is therefore part of a Muslim’s faith. The Qur’an even joins the two in a single command: be grateful to God and to your parents (Qur’an 31:14). ## Gratitude and patience together Gratitude in Islam does not depend on everything going well. The Prophet ﷺ described the believer as someone who thanks God in times of ease and is patient in times of hardship, so that both are good for him ([Sahih](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/sahih/) Muslim 7500). A grateful heart can find something to be thankful for even on hard days, and a patient heart keeps hope alive until better days come. See [patience in Islam](https://islamismercy.com/en/views/patience-in-islam/) for the other half of this picture. ## A closing thought Try a simple experiment: for one day, say *alhamdulillah* each time you notice something good — a meal, a kind word, a breath of fresh air. Many people find that gratitude does not just follow happiness; it creates it. To learn more about this everyday phrase, read [Alhamdulillah](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/alhamdulillah/). ![Why Does Islam Put So Much Emphasis on Gratitude?](https://islamismercy.com/_astro/patience-in-islam-info.DV6-5CCz_Z18sVoX.jpg) ## Key takeaways - Gratitude is expressed in the heart, on the tongue and through actions. - God promises to increase those who are grateful. - The blessings of God are too many to count. - Whoever does not thank people has not truly thanked God. ## Share this article [WhatsApp](https://wa.me/?text=Why%20Does%20Islam%20Put%20So%20Much%20Emphasis%20on%20Gratitude%3F%20https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fviews%2Fgratitude-in-islam%2F)[Telegram](https://t.me/share/url?url=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fviews%2Fgratitude-in-islam%2F&text=Why%20Does%20Islam%20Put%20So%20Much%20Emphasis%20on%20Gratitude%3F)[X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Why%20Does%20Islam%20Put%20So%20Much%20Emphasis%20on%20Gratitude%3F&url=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fviews%2Fgratitude-in-islam%2F)[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fviews%2Fgratitude-in-islam%2F) ## Sources - [Qur'an, Ibrahim 14:7](https://quran.com/14?startingVerse=7&translations=20) - [Qur'an, An-Nahl 16:78](https://quran.com/16?startingVerse=78&translations=20) - [Sahih Muslim 7430](https://sunnah.com/muslim/55#:~:text=at%20those%20who%20stand%20at) - [Sahih al-Bukhari 4836](https://sunnah.com/bukhari/65#:~:text=night%20prayers%20till%20his%20feet) - [Sunan Abi Dawud 4811](https://sunnah.com/abudawud/43#:~:text=He%20who%20does%20not%20thank) ## Talk to a Muslim Have a question that isn't answered here? Ask a real person — no pressure, no judgement. [Ask your question](https://islamismercy.com/en/talk/) ## Keep reading [Glossary ### What Does Alhamdulillah Mean? Alhamdulillah means "all praise is for God". Muslims say it to express gratitude many times a day — in good times and in hard times. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/alhamdulillah/)[Islam's View On… ### What Is Patience (Sabr) in Islam? Sabr — patience — is one of the most praised virtues in the Qur'an. Learn what it means, what it does not mean, and why its reward is without measure. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/views/patience-in-islam/)[Start Here ### What Is the Purpose of Life in Islam? Why are we here? Islam teaches that we were created to know and worship God, and that life is a meaningful test in which every good deed counts. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/start/purpose-of-life/)[Start Here ### Who Is Allah? Allah is the Arabic word for the one God, Creator of everything. Learn how the Qur'an describes Him, His beautiful names, and why Arab Christians say Allah too. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/start/who-is-allah/)