GratitudeFrom the masjid's own video, Nov 3, 2025.
Shukr is a way of life
“Shukr is not just a statement of the tongue; it is much more comprehensive.”
In one sentence
True shukr is a whole way of life that requires recognizing Allah's blessings, resisting entitlement and comparison, thanking people, and expressing gratitude through worship and action.
The khutbah in 6 steps
- Solomon and Ayyub illustrate gratitude and patience as equally excellent forms of servitude.
- Ease and prosperity can test believers more severely than hardship.
- Shukr begins in the heart rather than consisting only of saying alhamdulillah.
- Entitlement, taking blessings for granted, and social-media comparison produce ingratitude.
- Contentment helps believers notice blessings and deepen their iman.
- Gratitude should be directed toward Allah and toward family and loved ones, then expressed through action.
Try this week
Begin the day by recognizing security, health, and available food as major blessings.
Notice and appreciate small blessings instead of treating them as normal or deserved.
Resist comparison with selective social-media portrayals and refocus on blessings already present.
Thank Allah sincerely and thank parents, spouses, siblings, and other loved ones for their efforts.
Express gratitude through worship and deeds, not only words, following the example of Dawud.
Sources the khateeb cited
Surah 38Suleiman and Ayyub are both described as excellent servants who continually return to Allah.
Quotes
In the khateeb's words
“we were tested with good times with times of ease and comfort and we were not patient”
“shukr is not just a statement of the tongue it is much more comprehensive it's a way of life it's an outlook it's an attitude”
“with the advent of social media we see what other people have they have day in and day out and in reality that's not even what they really have”
“if you show shukr Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will increase you in your faith in your iman so the lens through which you see the dunya around you this lens becomes grateful”
Talk about it at home
For the dinner table
The khutbah teaches that believers need both sabr in hardship and shukr in ease. Gratitude is not only saying alhamdulillah; it begins in the heart, appears in speech, and becomes visible in our actions. We should notice ordinary blessings such as safety, health, and food, resist comparing our lives with selective social-media images, and thank the people who care for us. When we become content and grateful, Allah can increase us in faith and help us see blessings more clearly.
- What is one ordinary blessing you noticed today?
- Who is someone in our family we should thank, and what should we thank them for?
- What helps us stop comparing our lives with what we see online?
Keep listening
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