Joining Lawful Eating with Gratitude for Blessings

Occasion: Transcription of a Fajr khatira delivered on 17 August 2026 Source: A transcription of a video khatira by Dr. Ahmed Abouseif — Watch the original video on YouTube

The Doctor opened his khatira with a supplication that Allah accept us among His righteous servants, that He not turn us away, disgrace us or expose us before His creation, in this world or the next, and that He draw His veil over us. Then he moved to what those present had heard in the recitation.

Two Joined Matters

He observed that the Lord of Might, glory be to Him, joined in the verse two very important matters: eating of what Allah has provided us, lawful and good, and then giving thanks for the blessing of Allah.^[1] And he posed the question: Is Allah here commanding two independent matters, a command to eat the lawful and then a command to give thanks? Or does eating the lawful in itself call for gratitude?

Whoever Seeks the Lawful Senses the Enabling

He favored the second; whoever seeks the lawful senses the power of Allah Almighty in enabling him to eat it. No one moves in this world by himself or by his own power; he moves in the universe only by the enabling of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. The one who was able to run businesses, the one who was able to manage words, the one who was able to organize people, the one who was able to manufacture things, the one who was able to walk the earth, the one who was able to set the pattern of life in motion, was not able by himself.

Hence the great problem of Pharaoh: he sensed that he was a person of indispensable worth, and that if he were not there, it would affect the course of life. And the problem of Qārūn was that he said: ﴿إِنَّمَا أُوتِيتُهُ عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍ عِندِي﴾ (I was only given it because of knowledge I have), so he looked inward and did not look to the Giver, while the Lord of the worlds, glory be to Him, tells us that He gave him of the treasures of which the keys alone would burden a band of strong men.^[2] So Qārūn brought nothing from himself; everything in his hands was a gift from the Lord of Might, glory be to Him, the Exalted.

The Effect of Sensing: Gratitude, Not Complaint

So whoever senses that this wealth, or provision, or running of a business, or setting of affairs in motion, is only through Allah, gives thanks for what Allah has given him; he does not complain much, does not hesitate in speech, and does not hold back from taking initiative, as long as his provision is lawful. The proof of that is his gratitude to Allah, Blessed and Exalted. Whoever has provision, let him praise Allah, Mighty and Majestic, for it, and let him thank the Lord of the worlds that He established him in one of the paths of life; for the lost in the universe are many, and those with nothing in life are more. And whoever has some good in his hands, even if little, must look to the Giver, the Bestower, the Benefactor, the All-Powerful, the Most Merciful, the Subtle.

The Opposite of Gratitude

If that is not so, nothing comes of him but the opposite of gratitude. And what is the opposite of gratitude? Its contrary, disbelief, we seek refuge in Allah. Disbelief drives the servant to further greed, and greed leads a person to seek means, and the means are varied and many, some lawful and some forbidden. Greed drives the servant to enter the class of the ambiguous matters in which the realm of the lawful and the forbidden are mixed, so he may cross into the forbidden while persuading himself that it is permissible, when in fact the self has simply not ceased to be greedy. Whoever gives thanks has arrived.^[3]

The Supplication

Then he asked Allah, Blessed and Exalted, for continued concealment, complete contentment, and good acceptance of everything the Lord of the worlds brings, and that He grant him and us richness of soul, heart, mind and wealth, and keep our homes safe for us, and our souls safe from rancor and from trial. Amen, O Lord.

--- ^[1]: Editor's documentation: The speaker did not mention where the verse is found; the joining of "كلوا مما رزقكم الله حلالًا طيبًا" ("eat of what Allah has provided you, lawful and good") and "واشكروا نعمة الله" ("and give thanks for the blessing of Allah") is in Sūrat al-Naḥl, verse 114. The text of the verse was not set down in the body because the speaker did not recite it in full. ^[2]: Editor's documentation: Sūrat al-Qaṣaṣ, verse 76; the first phrase is in verse 78. ^[3]: Editor's documentation: In the transcript this was followed by "ومن كفر فقد…" ("and whoever disbelieves has…"), and the speech broke off, so it was not rendered.