Ingratitude

In the Qur'an, Allah makes mention of a negative moral characteristic commonly found within man: "... When We let a man taste mercy from Us, he exults in it. But if something bad strikes him for what he has done, he is ungrateful" (Surat ash-Shura: 48).

Certainly some people are ungrateful to Allah in spite of the countless blessings amongst which they live. Although they may never have considered this, such poor moral behavior towards Allah is one of the principal reasons for their unhappiness.

In the verse, "Remember Me—I will remember you. Give thanks to Me and do not be ungrateful" (Surat al-Baqara: 152), Allah orders people to avoid ingratitude. Despite having faith, their failure to appreciate Allah's mercy and all the fine things He has granted them will naturally grow into a torment for them.

The fundamental reason for these people's showing such poor moral behavior is that they have not fully grasped the essence of religion. Their inability to consider the perfect structure of destiny, or that there is goodness in everything whether it appears good or bad, causes them to regard events negatively.

In every event, there are really hundreds of details in which a person can find a blessing and take pleasure. But because of their distorted vision, these people cannot see the blessings and be grateful as they should.

Some see these beautiful things which have come to them from Allah and think they own them and hence, do not show the necessary gratitude—just as Qarun, who was given so much wealth that he could not even carry his keys, behaved ungratefully towards Allah.

As we are told, "He [Qarun] said, 'I have only been given it because of knowledge I have...'" (Surat al-Qasas: 78). Such people start thinking that they deserve the things they possess. For this reason, they do not regard them as blessings that bring joy and happiness.

Because they have not completely purged worldly ambition from their hearts, what they do possess does not seem enough for them. They show a contrary character towards their blessings because they are conceited, yet dissatisfied.

These people also forget that it's Allah Who gives blessings and takes them away and Who increases or reduces them. For this reason, whenever they suffer a loss, they are plunged into deep disappointment. In fact, this is one of Allah's tests—an important learning opportunity for people to understand the true value of whatever they have.

People should take advantage of the opportunities that Allah provides them and try to earn Allah's approval with a grateful approach. We are told in the Qur'an that people who are ungrateful to Allah while in the midst of His blessings may suffer the loss of those same blessings as a result.

The verse which tells us this truth is:

Allah makes an example of a city which was safe and at peace, its provision coming to it plentifully from every side. Then it showed ingratitude for Allah's blessings, so Allah made it wear the robes of hunger and fear for what it did. (Surat an-Nahl: 112)

If people like those described in the verse show gratitude instead of ingratitude, Allah will increase their blessings. People who believe live with the tranquility and happiness this morality brings. Because they look at everything with the eyes of faith and wisdom, they immediately notice the blessings and the fine and beautiful things around them.

Because they are not ambitious for worldly advantages, they know how to be satisfied with what they have. They maintain this morality even under the most difficult conditions and in the most troubling circumstances.

Rather than seeing anything bad in an event and letting it make them unhappy, they know how to see that event's good aspects. In return for this superior morality, Allah rewards His sincere followers by increasing their blessings still further, as we are told in the verse:

... your Lord announced: "If you are grateful, I will certainly give you increase, but if you are ungrateful, My punishment is severe." (Surah Ibrahim: 7)