Thank Allah before blessings are taken
“It is our duty and responsibility that we wake up and that we show gratitude and shukur to Allah Ta'ala before He takes these ni'mas away.”
True gratitude means recognizing every blessing and hardship as a test from Allah, turning to Him consistently with gratitude, patience, repentance, and worship.
The khutbah in 6 steps
- The khutbah identifies safety, health, time, family, and the ability to worship as uncountable blessings from Allah.
- A returned-loan analogy shows why blessings should not be treated as something we inherently deserve.
- Listeners are urged to maintain gratitude and remembrance instead of turning to Allah only during distress.
- Surah al-Fajr is used to explain that prosperity and deprivation are both tests, not automatic signs of honor or rejection.
- Fear, hunger, loss, patience, gratitude, and the phrase “Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajim” are presented as responses to hardship.
- The khutbah closes with supplications for well-being, steadfastness, gratitude, repentance, and relief for oppressed Muslims, followed by announcements.
In the khateeb's words
“We enjoy them without truly reflecting that this is a ni'mah from Allah Ta'ala.”
“The attitude should not be such... that we're saying shukr, we're doing the shukr and fulfilling the gratitude to Allah as if we deserve it.”
“Just because a person is given something, a barakah, a blessing, wealth, children, whatever it may be. It does not mean that Allah loves this individual or He's honoring him.”
“So it is our duty and responsibility that we wake up and that we show gratitude and shukur to Allah Ta'ala before He takes these ni'mas away.”
For the dinner table
The khutbah reminded us that our health, safety, family, time, and ability to worship are gifts from Allah. We often treat these blessings as something owed to us and remember Allah only when trouble comes. The speaker taught that ease and hardship are both tests, so we should answer abundance with sincere gratitude and difficulty with patience, repentance, and trust in Allah. Our family can practice this by noticing blessings, thanking Allah regularly, and asking for well-being and steadfastness before hardship arrives.
- What blessing did you notice today that you usually take for granted?
- How can we remember Allah when life is going well?
- What might patience and gratitude look like when something difficult happens?
More on Gratitude
ICI · Irving, TX · Oct 24, 2026Thank Allah in ease and hardship“Even in moments of difficulty, when it feels like there's nothing going your way, there is always something to be grateful for.”
Either we're receiving a blessing, which calls for shukr, or we're going through a hardship, which calls for sabr.13:29Al-Ittehad · Vista, CA · Sep 19, 2026Gratitude and patience carry believers through life
Real gratitude is not a feeling.16:14London Muslim Mosque · London, ON · Sep 11, 2026Gratitude means using blessings well