Quranic Terminology: Being (Un)Thankful to the Lord God (1)

Published in May 29, 2018

Translated by: Ahmed Fathy

Firstly: being thankful means adherence to faith/belief, whereas being unthankful means embracing polytheism/disbelief (both polytheism and disbelief are exact synonyms in the Quran):

1- This is expressed explicitly in the Quran in the following verses.

1/1: God says in the Quran: "So remember Me, and I will remember you. And be thankful to Me, and do not be among the disbelievers." (2:152); this means that being thankful to the Lord God is the exact opposite of disbelief.

1/2: This is repeated in this divine proclamation addressing all human beings at large: "And when your Lord proclaimed: "If you give thanks, I will grant you increase; but if you are disbelievers, My torment is severe."" (14:7); again, this means that being thankful to the Lord God is the Quranic antonym of disbelief.

1/3: This contrast is asserted further here: "If you disbelieve, God is Independent of you, yet He does not approve disbelief on the part of His servants. And if you are thankful, He will approve that in you..." (39:7).

1/4: This is emphasized further here within the words of God addressing Luqman: "We endowed Luqman with wisdom: "Give thanks to God." Whoever is thankful is being thankful for the benefit of his own soul. And whoever is a disbeliever - God is Sufficient and Praiseworthy." (31:12).

1/5: Within the Divine Revelation granted to all prophets/messengers, including Muhammad, we find this warning about falling into the trap of polytheism which annuls and nullifies the good deeds of people; God says the following to Muhammad: "It was revealed to you, and to those before you, that if you are among the polytheists, your works will be in vain, and you will be of the losers. Rather, worship God, and be of the thankful ones." (39:65-66). Thus, being thankful to the Lord God is the exact opposite of polytheism.  

1/6: The same meaning is asserted here within the context about creation of human beings: "We created man from a liquid mixture, to test him; and We made him hearing and seeing. We guided him to the way, be he thankful or unthankful." (76:2-3).

1/7: The polytheism of worshiping pagan idols is contrasted here with worshiping the Lord God and being thankful to Him: "And Abraham, when he said to his people, "Worship God, and fear Him. That is better for you, if you only knew. You worship idols besides God, and you fabricate falsehoods. Those you worship, instead of God, cannot provide you with livelihood. So seek your livelihood from God, and worship Him, and thank Him. To Him you will be returned."" (29:16-17).

2- This is expressed implicitly in the Quran in the following verses.

2/1: When most human beings face crises and hardships, they implore and supplicate to God in the most reverent, fervent manner within piety and deep faith; yet, once they are saved and spared, they return to disbelief/polytheism and they are never thankful/grateful to the Lord God and they are never appreciative. This meaning is repeated in many verses as follows.

2/1/1: "It is He who transports you across land and sea. Until, when you are on ships, sailing in a favorable wind, and rejoicing in it, a raging wind arrives. The waves surge over them from every side, and they realize that they are besieged. Thereupon they pray to God, professing sincere devotion to Him: "If You save us from this, we will be among the thankful ones." But then, when He has saved them, they commit violations on earth, and oppose justice. O people! Your violations are against your own souls. It is the enjoyment of the present life. Then to Us is your return, and We will inform you of what you used to do." (10:22-23). Being among the thankful ones here means to be among the disbelievers; yet, once they find salvation/deliverance, most people return to polytheism/disbelief and injustices and they are unthankful to the Lord God.

2/1/2: This meaning regarding the vast majority of human beings is repeated here in this verse addressing all people: "Say, "Who delivers you from the darkness of land and sea?" You call upon Him humbly and inwardly: "If He delivers us from this, We will surely be among the thankful." Say, "It is God who delivers you from it, and from every disaster. Yet then you associate others with Him."" (6:63-64).

2/2: Most human beings are not thankful to God.

2/2/1: It is a Quranic fact that vast majority of human beings are disbelievers/polytheists: "But most people, for all your eagerness, are not believers." (12:103); "And most of them do not believe in God unless while being polytheists." (12:106); "...It is the Truth from your Lord, but most people do not believe." (11:17). Even if Muhammad had followed most people , they would have managed to misguide him: "If you were to obey most of those on earth, they would divert you from God's path. They follow nothing but assumptions, and they only conjecture." (6:116).

2/2/2: Most human beings are not thankful to God; this means they are NOT among the believers, because being unthankful is synonymous with being among the disbelievers.

2/2/2/1: Iblis/Satan has vowed to make the vast majority of human beings among the disbelievers who are never thankful to the Lord God: "..."Because you have lured me, I will waylay them on Your Straight Path. Then I will come at them from before them, and from behind them, and from their right, and from their left; and you will not find most of them thankful."" (7:16-17).

2/2/2/2: Accordingly, most human beings never are never thankful to their Lord God because they are polytheists and refuse monotheism and never feel grateful/appreciative for receiving the grace and the bounties from the Lord God: "...God is Gracious towards the people, but most people are not thankful." (2:243); "...God is Bountiful towards the people, but most of them do not give thanks." (10:60); "And I have followed the faith of my forefathers, Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob. It is not for us to associate anything with God. This is by virtue of God's grace upon us and upon the people, but most people do not give thanks." (12:38); "Your Lord is gracious towards humanity, but most of them are not thankful." (27:73); "...God is gracious towards the people, but most people do not give thanks." (40:61).

2/3: These are more points to understand those who are unthankful whose faith/belief is little and lacking.

2/3/1: God says in the Quran: "...They have little faith." (2:88); "...so they do not believe, except within very little faith." (4:155). This means that disbelief is little belief, or lacking faith, in God, as polytheists never devote their belief only to God but to other imaginary deities/gods; on the Last Day, God will never accept this little amount of faith dedicated to Him as this little faith of polytheists is distributed to other godheads fashioned by people.

2/3/2: Those who have little faith or insufficient belief are rarely thankful to the Lord God, as disbelief is synonymous with being unthankful and ungrateful to God: "...but rarely do you give thanks." (32:9); "...But little thankfulness you show." (23:78); "Say, "It is He who produced you; and made for you the hearing, and the vision, and the organs. But rarely do you give thanks."" (67:23); "We have established you firmly on earth, and made for you in it livelihood - but rarely do you give thanks." (7:10). 

2/4: Very few human beings are believers who are also thankful to God.

2/4/1: Very few people are believers who give thanks to their Lord God: "...but a few of My servants are thankful." (34:12).

2/4/2: Very few people are believers who perform good deeds: "...except those who believe and do good deeds, but these are so few..." (38:24).

2/4/3: This minority of human beings who are thankful believers will be the Praise dwellers; i.e., within the two categories mentioned in the Quranic Chapter 56: the Forerunners and those on the Right.

2/4/3/1: God says the following about the Forerunners: "And the Forerunners, the Forerunners. Those are the nearest. In the Gardens of Bliss. A throng from the ancients. And a small band from the latecomers." (56:10-14).

2/4/3/2: God says the following about those on the Right: "For those on the Right. A throng from the ancients. And a throng from the latecomers." (56:38-40).

2/5: Being unthankful, within food legislations in the Quran, means being among the polytheists:

 By God's Grace, all food provisions are made permissible with the exception of few items mentioned in the Quran as prohibited; we are NOT to add to this list of prohibited food items. It is very sinful to prohibit legal/lawful/permissible food items; this grave sin is committed by clergymen and imams of the Muhammadans; within the Quranic contexts about food legislations, such a sin/violation is indicated by being unthankful; this means rejecting and denying the Dominant Lord God's sharia legislations. This is because instead of being thankful to the Almighty Lord God for bestowing on them permissible food items, they distort sharia legislations about food. Let us provide some examples below from the Quranic verses.         

2/5/1: We find here the command to consume permissible, legal food items while feeling grateful and thankful to the Lord God as real believers who obey His sharia legislations: "O you who believe! Eat of the good things We have provided for you, and give thanks to God, if it is Him that you serve. He has forbidden you carrion, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and what was dedicated to other than God. But if anyone is compelled, without desiring or exceeding, he commits no sin. God is Forgiving and Merciful." (2:172-173). We find here the indication of money-seeking clergymen who conceal the truth and misguide/mislead the masses on purpose: "Those who conceal what God revealed in the Book, and exchange it for a small price - those swallow nothing but fire into their bellies. And God will not speak to them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He purify them, and they will have a painful torment. It is they who exchange guidance for error, and forgiveness for torment. But why do they insist on the Fire? That is because God has revealed the Book in Truth; and those who differ about the Book are in deep discord." (2:174-176).  

2/5/2: Those clergymen distort, twist, and warp the meanings of verses about sharia legislations and they prohibit permitted/legal items and allow prohibited/illegal items. "Say, "Have you considered the sustenance God has sent down for you, some of which you made unlawful, and some lawful?" Say, "Did God give you permission, or do you fabricate lies and attribute them to God?" What will they think - those who fabricate lies and attribute them to God - on the Day of Resurrection? God is Bountiful towards the people, but most of them do not give thanks." (10:59-60). Most of them are unthankful and this means they are disbelievers.

2/5/3: The Lord God commands us to consume permissible, legal food items and mentions specific items as illegal/prohibited ones and they are few exceptions and we must never add to them; God prohibits the prohibition of legal/permissible items; this means that being thankful is synonymous with faith/belief and that adding falsehoods/lies to God's sharia legislations means being unthankful and being among the disbelievers. God says in the Quran: "Eat of the lawful and good things God has provided for you, and be thankful for God's blessings, if it is Him that you worship. He has forbidden you carrion, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and anything consecrated to other than God. But if anyone is compelled by necessity, without being deliberate or malicious, then God is Forgiving and Merciful. And do not say of falsehood asserted by your tongues, "This is lawful, and this is unlawful," in order to invent lies and attribute them to God. Those who invent lies and attribute them to God will not succeed." (16:114-116).   

2/5/4: The imams and clergymen of the Muhammadans who have added their distortions to the Lord God's Quranic sharia legislations concerning food items are never believers and are never thankful to the Lord God.