Every human that comes into this world is ordered to fulfil two responsibilities – Imaan and Al-A’mal As-Salihah (good deeds). The success and failure of both worlds depend on completing these two tasks.

If a person on an individual level adorns his life with Imaan and Al-A’mal As-Salihah, then he will achieve individual success in his individual kingdom. Allah says:

مَنْ عَمِلَ صَـٰلِحًا مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَىٰ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُۥ حَيَوٰةً طَيِّبَةً ۖ وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْرَهُم بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ

Whoever, male or female, has acted righteously, while being a believer, We shall certainly make him live a good life, and shall give such people their reward for the best of what they used to do. [An-Nahl 16: 97]

Rasulullah ﷺ has stated:

عن النبي، صلى الله عليه وسلم، قال‏:‏ إذا أحب الله العبد نادى جبريل‏:‏ إن الله تعالى يحب فلانًا، فأحببه، فيحبه جبريل، فينادي في أهل السماء‏:‏ إن الله يحب فلانًا، فأحبوه، فيحبه أهل السماء، ثم يوضع له القبول في الأرض‏

When Allah loves a bondsman (as a result of his Imaan and good deeds), he calls Jibra’il and informs him that verily Allah loves such a person; you also love him. Jibra’il then begins to love him. Jibra’il then announces to the people of the heaven, ‘Verily Allah loves such a person, you all love him.’ They all love him and he is (also) granted acceptance on the earth. [Bukhari and Muslim]

If, however a nation collectively fulfils their responsibility of Imaan and Al-A’mal As-Salihah, this will result in them achieving collective success and collective supremacy in the world. Allah says:

وَعَدَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مِنكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ كَمَا ٱسْتَخْلَفَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ ٱلَّذِى ٱرْتَضَىٰ لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا

Allah has promised those of you who believe and do good deeds that He will certainly make them (His) vicegerents on earth, as He made those before them, and will certainly establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them, and will certainly give them peace in place of the fear in which they were before;… [An-Nur 24: 55]

EASY GOOD DEED – Gratitude

Allah bestows countless boons and favours on us every instant; they are countless as Allah Himself says in the Quraan:

وَإِن تَعُدُّوا۟ نِعْمَةَ ٱللَّهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَآ ۗ

If you tried to count Allah’s blessings, you would never be able to number them [An-Nahl 16: 18]

Shaikh Sa’di R has said that if one ignores other blessings and mercies, life itself is a boon of the highest order, in so far as the act of breathing itself has two blessings of inhalation and exhalation; if breath, goes in and does not came out it is death and if breath goes out and does not come in it is again death. Hence every breath has two boons for which Allah must be thanked.

However, even if one thanks Allah once with every breath, it is still insufficient; so how can one adequately thank Allah for other boons and mercies?

Though it is impossible to thank Allah adequately, but thanking Him to the best of one`s ability is a pleasing act to Allah and earns countless merits, and also leads to the granting of further blessings and mercies, one will also get closer to Allah, as He has said:

فَٱذْكُرُونِىٓ أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَٱشْكُرُوا۟ لِى وَلَا تَكْفُرُونِ

Remember Me; I will remember you. And thank Me, and never be ungrateful. [Baqarah 2: 152]

In another place, Allah says:

وَسَنَجْزِى ٱلشَّـٰكِرِينَ

Soon We will reward the thankful. [Al-Imran 3:145]

لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِى لَشَدِيدٌ

“If you are grateful, I will bestow abundance upon you, but if you are ungrateful (then you should know that) My punishment will be terrible indeed.” [Ibrahim 14: 7]

Allah likes a thankful bondsman and dislikes an ungrateful one, since thanklessness is extreme narrow mindedness. A thankless person laments even slightest troubles and ignores the countless mercies; he is more aware of his troubles than of his comforts, a thankful person, on the contrary is thankful, even in extreme troubles, for the innumerable boons he enjoys, while praying for deliverance from his troubles.

Suppose a person is sick. If he is thankless, he would ignore all other blessings, regard himself as the most troubled and aggrieved person in the world and lament his fate. But if he is a thankful man he would think of the healthy period of his life and then he would think of his treatment of and the presence of his well-wishers and friends as mercies, he would think of people more sick than himself and thank Allah for sparing him more serious sickness, He would pray for his recovery but not by way of complaint, he would pray as a besieger and pleader. He would never utter anything smacking of thanklessness.