Three levels of Shukr (gratitude) by Imam Ghazali

In his very famous book, 'Ihya `Ulum Al-Din' (The Revival of the Religious S ien es!, Imam Al"ha#ali $ra%s a beautiful analogy in trying to sho% the $ifferent forms of gratitu$e that &eo&le e'&ress( )*et us give an e'am&le+ ,e say that a king %ho $esires to make a -ourney grants a man in his entourage a favor in the form of a horse+ .e imagines that the man to %hom it is grante$ %ill be $elighte$ %ith the horse for three reasons+ /irstly, he %ill be $elighte$ be ause it is a horse an$ be ause it has monetary value %hi h an be of benefit to him0 be ause he an use it for ri$ing an$ that suits his &ur&ose0 an$ be ause it is a valuable ra er as %ell+ This kin$ of -oy is for one %ho has no interest in the king, his interest is only in the horse+ .a$ he foun$ the horse in a $esert, he %oul$ have taken it an$ his -oy %oul$ have been similar to this -oy+ )The se on$ kin$ of -oy is %hen he $elights in it, not be ause it is a horse, but be ause he infers the are of the king e'&resse$ in it, an$ his 1the king's2 om&assion for him+ .a$ he foun$ the horse in the $esert, or someone other than the king ha$ given it to him, he %oul$ not really be ha&&y %ith it be ause, in &rin i&le, he has no nee$ of the horse an$ it is of no signifi an e to him om&are$ to his $esire to have a &la e in the heart of the king+ )The thir$ kin$ of -oy is %hen the servant $elights in the horse in or$er to ri$e it, to go out in the servi e of the king an$ bear the toil of the -ourney in his servi e an$ to obtain the rank of nearness to the king+ 3erha&s he %ill be &romote$ to the &osition of a minister, be ause he is not ontent that his &osition in the heart of the king shoul$ be limite$ to his 1the king's2 giving him a horse an$ aring for him only to this $egree+ Rather he $oes not %ant the king to onvey the 1favors2 from his %ealth on anyone e' e&t through him+ 4et, he $oes not %ant the ministry for the sake of the ministry, rather he %ants to see the king an$ be near him+ If he ha$ to hoose bet%een this &ro'imity to him %ithout the ministry an$ the ministry %ithout &ro'imity, he %oul$ hoose &ro'imity+ *5SS67S /R68 T.5 A96:5 5;A83*5( )These are the three levels 1of -oy2+ In the first, there is no thankfulness at all be ause the vision of the one &ossessing it 1this level of -oy2 is onfine$ to the horse an$ his -oy lies in the horse, not in the one %ho gave it+ This is the state of all those %ho are ma$e ha&&y by a blessing be ause of the &leasure of it an$ be ause it is agreeable to their &ur&ose+ This is far from the meaning of thankfulness+ The se on$ 1kin$2 enters the $efinition of thankfulness in that the &erson $elights in the giver but not e'a tly be ause of him 1the giver2, rather, be ause of the kno%le$ge of his are0 this in ites 1the &erson2 to seek favor in the future+ This is the state of the righteous, %ho %orshi& "o$ an$ are thankful to .im for fear of .is &unishment an$ ho&e for .is re%ar$+ )3erfe t thankfulness is foun$ only in the thir$ kin$ of -oy+ It is %hen the -oy of the servant in the blessing of "o$ (e'alte$ is .e! is be ause it enables him to rea h a &la e of &ro'imity to .im (e'alte$ is .e!, to resi$e in .is om&anionshi&, an$ en-oy the vision of .is ountenan e ontinually< This is the highest level 1of attainment2+ Its hara teristi is -oy in this %orl$ only for %hat it is, a fiel$ un$er ultivation for the .ereafter an$

the means to assist him to it+ .e grieves at every blessing that $iverts him from the remembran e of "o$ (e'alte$ is .e! an$ turns him a%ay from .is &ath+ .e $oes not $esire the blessing be ause it is &leasurable, -ust as the &ossessor of the horse $oes not $esire the horse be ause it is a ra er or an ambler, but be ause it arries him in om&any %ith the king, that he may ontinue to see the king an$ be near him+ Thus Shibli (may "o$ grant him mer y! sai$, =Thankfulness is the vision of the 9esto%er, not the vision of the blessing+>?@ 8ay "o$ enable us to sho% ontinuous gratitu$e to%ar$s .im, as best as %e an, so that .e %ill give us even more (Auran, @B(C!, an$ so that %e an use that more to $ra% nearer to .im+ 8ay .e enable us to be amongst the )fe%? %ho are )thankful? (Aur>an, DB(@D! an$ may .e &rote t us from being amongst )most human beings? %ho )$o not give thanks? (Aur>an, E(EBD! an$ the terrible &unishment that they fa e (Auran, @B(C!+ ,hen re ogni#ing .is gifts, may .e em&o%er us to say, as Sulaiman (`alayhi assalam, &ea e be u&on him! sai$, )FThis is from the favor of my *or$ to test me %hether I %ill be grateful or ungrateful+ An$ %hoever is grateful G his gratitu$e is only for 1the benefit of2 himself+ An$ %hoever is ungrateful G then in$ee$, my *or$ is /ree of nee$ an$ "enerous+? (Aur>an, EC(BH!+