“Imagine you are playing Monopoly and pick one of each of these cards throughout the game. How do you think you’d feel if you gained $100? How do you think you’d feel if you lost $100? Would it matter how much money you had already?
According to the famous prospect theory, we value losses and gains disproportionately. We are more likely to feel worse about losing $100 than we are to feel better about gaining $100, regardless of our absolute wealth. This is because prospect theory suggests we evaluate outcomes based on their relative utility rather than their absolute utility.”
The “dunya framework” (and human nature) makes us believe that we are always operating in a net negative. Our losses and failures loom with a greater shadow than the bright pastures of Allah’s ﷻ blessings. But, is this what true gratitude of a slave to his Master looks like?
In Islam, loss is reframed as a trial (Ibtila), a means of purification { The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that." } and redirection towards something better { Perhaps you dislike something which is good for you and like something which is bad for you. Allah knows and you do not know. 2:126 }
Sincere Shukr (gratitude) is a commandment by Allah ﷻ and a form of worship. But it is also a state of mind which reforms the lens through which we view all events- the good and the bad. Prospect Theory tells us that this stems from the fact that our reference point is a relative time-frame in this dunya, however, as Allah reminds us in the Qur’an "The Hereafter is better and more enduring.” (87:17)
When our reference point is an unstable point in time, wealth, health and social status, it is always going to be subject to fluctuations and therefore, Qanāʿa (contentment with what has been granted to us) becomes a foreign concept. We then continue to delude ourselves in pursuit of the finest things without reflecting on what we have been blessed with and truly thanking Allah ﷻ.
How often have we sat down to make Dua, raised our hands and began our Duas with “Ya’Allah grant me so and so...” but not realised that our very life and existence itself is something we must be grateful for?
Suppose we have x + 10 blessings one day and x + 5 blessings the next. The dunya lens would have us convert this equation into a psychological loss, making us forget that both are Rizq and something we ought to be grateful for. We are breathing now and able to stand for prayer and express our gratitude to One Supreme. Perhaps this summation of prayers and Ibadah would be what end up testifying in our favour on The Day of Judgement- what we otherwise might have missed out on had we not been blessed with the gift of life or shown ungratefulness to Al ‘Ala - The One Most High.
True Shukr reflects itself in every action of a believer, as Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah put it:
“Shukr is manifested through:
- the heart, by feelings of subordination and submissiveness
- the tongue, through verbally acknowledging the blessings and praising the benefactor
- acts of obedience and unwavering devotion”
Allah ﷻ reminds us in the Qur’an that:
“Rather, worship Allah ˹alone˺ and be one of the grateful. (39:66)”
In this amazing verse, Allah ﷻ binds Tawhid, worship and Shukr together thus solidifying how paramount it is for a believer.
The Prophet ﷺ would stand (in prayer) so long that the skin of his feet would crack. I asked him, “Why do you do this while your past and future sins have been forgiven?” He ﷺ said, “Should I not be a (عبداً شكوراً) grateful slave of Allah”?
And lastly, a story of Bilal Ibn Rabah (RA), the one that made this reflection possible:
In a narration it is written that after the Fajr prayer, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ asked Bilal Ibn Rabah RA about the best deed he had done since embracing Islam. Bilal RA said that he would stay in a constant state of purity (Wudu) and that whenever he made Wudu (whether during the day or the night), he would pray 2 rakah and thank Allah ﷻ for granting him the opportunity to cleanse himself.
For Bilal Ibn Rabah (RA), gratefulness was something that manifested in every aspect- through the heart, through the tongue and through the actions of obedience and unwavering devotion.