15 Quran verses why gratitude is the master key

Allah lays so much emphasis on thankfulness and expects humans to develop an attitude of gratitude with all their heart that He has dedicated several verses to this special subject in His book, the Holy Quran.

Nurturing gratitude should be an all-time task for a believer as it takes conscious effort and patience, but reading through these Quran verses during the time you find it hard to stay positive will boost your faith in God and overall outlook on life. 

1) Surah Al Nisa 147 

"Why would God cause you to suffer if you are grateful and believe? God is always responsive to gratitude, the All-Knowing"

This verse, which tells us that God can wipe out all sins no matter how big they are, is so uplifting and encouraging that even the most corrupt person on Earth can find hope, promise and faith in God, provided they sincerely start developing an attitude of gratitude toward Him for every favor, relief, guidance, forgiveness and His unceasing mercy every step of the way. 

2) Surah Ibrahim 7

"If you are grateful, I will increase you (in favor). But if you are ungrateful, indeed, My punishment is severe."

Gratitude increases blessings and happiness. Whatever we become thankful for, God will increase that thing (blessing, favor) for us. Take your time out, sit in a peaceful place and commit to expressing thanks every day in every area of your life, from health, relationships to wealth and your knowledge, wisdom, mistakes and challenges as well. You will see your blessings and happiness grow right before your eyes.

3) Surah Zumar 7

"If you are ungrateful, surely Allah is Self-Sufficient (being independent of you). And He is not pleased with ingratitude in His servants. But if you show gratitude, he likes it in you." 

4) Surah Naml 73

"And surely, Your Lord is gracious to mankind, but most of them do not show gratitude."

5) Surah Al Araf 189-190

"They both (husband and the pregnant wife) invoke Allah, their Lord, "If You should give us a good (child), we will surely be among the grateful." But when He gives them a healthy child, they attribute to Him partners regarding what Allah had bestowed upon them. Exalted is Allah above what they associate with him."

This verse not only exposes thankless attitude of humans but also reveals an open secret that gratitude is the most powerful dua (supplication) for any desire. If a person convinces God that they will be surely thankful for a desire, God powerfully and mercifully manifests that desire for them because He wants humans to appreciate and acknowledge His kindness, love, mercy, intelligence, might and wisdom for His creation. But sadly humans often forget their Lord after receiving their blessings.  

Read article ➤ How gratitude in advance can answer any dua/desire

6) Surah Naml 19

"He (Prophet Sulaiman) said, "My Lord, enable me to be thankful for Your favour which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents and so that I may act righteously in a manner that will please You, and include me (out of Your mercy) among Your righteous servants." 

7) Surah Luqman 12

"And We had certainly given Luqman wisdom, and said, 'Be grateful to Allah.' And whoever is grateful is grateful (for the benefit) of himself. And whoever is ungrateful, then surely Allah is free of need and Praiseworthy." 

8) Surah Naml 13

"[We said], 'Work, O family of Dawood, in thankfulness.' Few of my servants are truly thankful." 

Scholars explain in tafaseer (exegesis) that, in this verse, Allah is advising Prophet Dawood (David) to do every task (deed) with a thankful heart and mind. That being said, we must strive to be thankful to God every step of the way. 

9) Surah Ad Dahr 3

"Surely, We have shown him (man) the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful." 

10) Surah Qamar 35

"As favor from Us. Thus do We reward him who gives thanks." 

11) Surah An Nahl 78

"And Allah has extracted you from the wombs of your mothers while you knew nothing , and gave you hearing (ears) and vision (eyes) and intellect (hearts), that perhaps you would be grateful."   

12) Surah Furqan 62

"And it is He Who has made the night and the day, each following the other, for he who desires to remember or desires gratitude." 

13) Surah Rum 46

"And among His signs is this, that He sends the winds as bearers of glad tidings, and to let you taste His mercy, and so the ships may sail at His command, and so you may seek of His bounty, and perhaps you will be grateful."

14) Surah Saba 15

"There was indeed a Sign for (the tribe of) Saba in their homeland: two gardens on the right hand and on the left. [They were told], 'Eat from the provisions from your Lord and be grateful to Him. A good land (have you) and a Most Forgiving Lord,'"

15) Surah Saba 16

"But they (tribe of Saba) said, 'Our Lord, lengthen the distance between our journeys,' and wronged themselves, so We made them narrations and dispersed them in total dispersion. Indeed in that are signs for everyone patient and grateful."

The above two verses (from Surah Saba) expose yet another negative human trait and call upon us to ponder over them and avoid ingratitude. When humans are in need, they will beg God for blessings. But as soon as God blesses people with the things (blessings, resources, happiness) they desire, they start taking these favors and God for granted and become negligent.

Read 👉 100 important blessings to thank every single day

This is what the tribe of Saba did. Soon after they received two gardens full of fruit, water and other blessings, they started getting bored with the gardens and comfort they were receiving. They started feeling entitled to those favors from Allah. Once they stopped being grateful, they came up with all sorts of ego-driven philosophies and human logic and ended up asking God to make their peaceful, short journeys a bit more difficult so they could get tired as they thought their blessings didn't give them any more excitement. 

Read: 20+ Quran verses about Astaghfar

This is human ego, that it does not want God and His praise, it will rather want to work hard, sweat it out so it could tell itself that it is great and hard-working. Ego loves self-praise. Human ego/self doesn't like giving credit to outside sources, especially God, for the benefits it receives.

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