In The Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

Shaikh Abdus Salaam Burgess [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said:

“The favour Allaah bestows on a servant of Allaah to be upon the pure Sunnah and follow its upright path is a great blessing that obligates on one to thank and remember Allaah a lot. That is because to act upon the Sunnah in these times is a mighty affair and also a strange thing”. (a) (1)

The Pillars of Gratitude

Allaah [The Most High] said:

لِتَسْتَوُوا عَلَىٰ ظُهُورِهِ ثُمَّ تَذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ رَبِّكُمْ إِذَا اسْتَوَيْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ وَتَقُولُوا سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي سَخَّرَ لَنَا هَٰذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لَهُ مُقْرِنِينَ
وَإِنَّا إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا لَمُنقَلِبُونَ

In order that you may mount on their backs, and then may remember the Favour of your Lord when you mount thereon, and say: “Glory to Him Who has subjected this to us, and we could never have it (by our efforts). And verily, to Our Lord we indeed are to return!” [43:13-14]

Imaam As-Sadi [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said, “Mentioned in this Aayah are the three pillars of gratitude and they are: acknowledgement of Allaah’s blessings, proclaim and speak about Allaah’s blessings, submit to Allah and utilise these blessings to carry out acts of worship for the sake of Allaah (alone). That is because the intent behind the statement of Allah: [وَإِنَّا إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا لَمُنقَلِبُونَ – And verily, to Our Lord we indeed are to return] is an acknowledgement of recompense and make preparations for it. The objective behind these favours is that they are an aid by way of which the slave (seeks) to fulfil that which Allah has commanded him (i.e. acts of worship and obedience etc)

And regarding Allaah’s saying: [ثُمَّ تَذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ رَبِّكُمْ إِذَا اسْتَوَيْتُمْ – And then may remember the favour of your Lord when you mount thereon], this is a specific mention of the (favour) in that at the time in which the person enjoys those favours because blessings intoxicates many amongst the creation, makes them heedless, evil and ungrateful. Therefore, this state in which Allah commanded (a person to remember Him for His Favours) is a medication for this destructive ailment. When the person recalls that he is completely surrounded by the blessings of Allah and that nothing is from him (or herself), but rather blessings are (from Allah) – its means are facilitated and its obtainment made easy (by Allaah), he (she) submits to Allah, humbles him (or herself), thanks and Praises Allaah. And by way of this he (or she) is given continuous blessings. (2)

Footnote a: Strangeness of the Sunnah: Amr Ibn Awf [may Allaah be pleased with him] reported that Allaah’s Messenger [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him], said, “Verily, the religion began as something strange and it will return to being strange, so blessed are the strangers who restore my Sunnah that people have corrupted after me”. (3)

The Prophet [peace and blessings be upon him] said, “Allaah will raise for this Ummah at the end of every hundred years the one who will revive its religion for it”. (4)

“Allaah will raise for this Ummah”– Meaning the Ummatul Ijaabah [i.e. the Muslims]. “At the end of every hundred years”– Meaning at the end of every hundred years when there is little knowledge of the Sharee’ah and the authentic Prophetic Tradition, whilst ignorance and religious innovation is rife. “One who will revive its religion for it”– Meaning a scholar who is alive and well known. He will clarify the authentic Prophetic Tradition and distinguish it from the religious innovations. knowledge will be abundant again and its adherents will be aided, and the proponents of religious will be overcome and degraded. This reviver is non else but a scholar who has sound understanding of the religious sciences that deal with acts of worship, the underlying wisdoms of the religion and the texts that deal with beliefs of the heart. (5)

Imaam Ibn Katheer [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said, “A group amongst the scholars- including Ahmad Bin Hanbal – stated that Umar Bin Abdul Azeez was alive at the end of the first hundred years and he is more worthy and entitled to be entered into this category of people due to his leadership and striving to establish truth”. (6)

Imaam Ibnul Mubaarak [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said: “Know O my brother that indeed death is an honour for every Muslim who meets Allaah whilst being upon the Sunnah, and truly to Allaah we belong and truly to Him we shall return. And to Allaah do we complain about our loneliness, the passing away of the brothers, the scarcity of helpers and the emergence of bidah (newly invented beliefs and acts of worship in the religion). And to Allaah do we complain about the magnitude of what has occurred to this Ummah due to the passing away of the scholars and Ahlus Sunnah, and the emergence of bidah. And I say as Ibraaheem At-Taymiy said: “O Allaah! Protect me through your religion and the Sunnah of your Prophet. (Protect me) from differing about truth; from following desires and the paths of misguidance and the Shubuhaat Al Umoor (i.e. those affairs that appear to be the truth but are falsehood in reality); from deviation and (blameworthy) argumentation”. (7)

[Ref 1: An Excerpt from Tasneefun Naasi Aw Radd Alaa Munkiriy at-Tasneef page 20-21. slightly paraphrased]
[Ref 2: An Excerpt from Fataawa Sa’diyyah page: 61. slightly paraphrased]
[Ref 3: Saheeh Sunan At-Tirmidhee 2630]
[Ref 4: Sunan Abee Daawud. Hadeeth Number 4291. Declared authentic by Imaam Al-Albaanee [rahimahullaah] in Saheeh Abi Daawud. Publisher, Maktabah Al-Ma’aarif.
[Ref 5: An Excerpt from Awnul Ma’bood Sharh Sunan Abee Daawud. Vol 11. Pages 259-260. Publisher: Daaer Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah. 1st Edition 1419AH (Year 1998). Slightly paraphrased]
[Ref 6: Al-Bidaayah Wan-Nihaayah. Vol 9. Pages 303-309. Publisher: Maktabah Al-Ma’aarif and Daar ibn Hazm. 9th Edition. 1414 AH (1994)

[Ref 8: Al-I’tisaam pg57]