Hadith regarding gratitude to the one who helps & shows kindness

Hadith & its Sciences 68 Views

 

Jabir ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Whoever receives a donation and mentions it has shown gratitude, but if he hides it, he has been ungrateful.” (Sunan Abi Dawud, kitab ul adab, Chapter: Regarding gratitude for acts of kindness)

  • Narrator: Jabir ibn Abdullah
  • Muhaddis: Al-Albani
  • Source: Sahih ul Jamii (5933) & As-Silsilat us saheeha (618)
  • Summary of ruling of Muhaddis: Sahih, Its chain is authentic as per conditions of Imam Muslim
  • Takhreej: Narrated by Abu Dawud (4814) and this wording is his, and by Al-Tirmidhi (2034) with a similar meaning, with a longer context.

عَنْ ‌جَابِرٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: “مَنْ أُبْلِيَ بَلَاءً فَذَكَرَهُ فَقَدْ شَكَرَهُ وَإِنْ كَتَمَهُ فَقَدْ كَفَرَهُ”. (سنن أبي داود, كتاب الأدب, باب فِي شُكْرِ الْمَعْرُوفِ)

 

Benefits from this Hadith:

1) Acknowledging the acts of kindness is encouraged in Islam.

2) Thanking and praising someone who has done something good is a way of thanking Allah Almighty and one of the noble morals that Islam has urged.

3) From among the etiquette of blessings is to mention the giver of help/gift, to thank him and to praise him.

4) It is a right to mention the kindness and favor of the benefactor and the one who does good in an appropriate manner and with respect, as it is a form of gratitude and appreciation. This increases affection, whereas the opposite leads to discomfort.

Explanation of this Hadith:

Expressing gratitude and praise towards someone who has done something good is a way of showing appreciation to Allah Almighty and is considered one of the noble virtues encouraged by Islam. In this hadith, the Prophet (ﷺ) states: “مَنْ أُبْلِيَ بَلاءً” (Whoever is tested with a trial,) which refers to receiving a gift from someone, as mentioned in the narration of Abu Dawud. Passive form is used here meaning “he was given gift”. The term “البَلاءُ” (trial) can refer to both good and bad experiences, though its fundamental meaning is “a form of testing” and it is most often used for good. Allah said “بلاء حسنا” (A good calamity).

Furthermore, the hadith says “فذكرَهُ” (And he mentions it) meaning that the person acknowledges and praises the giver of the gift/help, “فقد شَكَرَهُ” (has thanked him,) indicating that the person has recognized the giver’s kindness and favor, not denying it.

Then the hadith says “و إنْ كَتَمَهُ” (But whoever conceals it,) meaning the one who fails to thank or praise the giver and does not speak positively of him, “فقد كَفَرَهُ” (has disbelieved in him) signifying that he has not acknowledged the giver’s rights and have denied their favor. The word “الكفر” linguistically means to cover. Here it would mean covering the kindness of the helper.

Source: Above is the Summary of the explanation of this hadith by Al-Muhaddis Shaikh Abdul Mohsin Al-Abbaad in his book “Kitaabu Sharhi Sunan Abi Dawood lil Abbaad” ( كتاب شرح سنن أبي داود للعباد) 1https://shamela.ws/book/37052/16557

Detailed Takhreej:

It was narrated by Abu Dawud (4814) and Abu Nu`aym in “Akhbar Isfahan” (1/259) on the authority of Jarir on the authority of Al-A`mash on the authority of Abu Sufyan on the authority of Jabir on the authority of the Prophet (ﷺ). I said: This is a sound chain of transmission according to the criteria/condition of (Imaam) Muslim (author of sahih muslim). It has a corroborating hadith from Ibn Umar with a chain of transmission traceable back to the Prophet (ﷺ). (Kitabu Silsilati al-ahadeeth is-saheeha by Al-albani, “كتاب سلسلة الأحاديث الصحيحة وشيء من فقهها وفوائدها لناصر الدين الألباني”) 2https://shamela.ws/book/9442/1124#p1

 

And Allah knows best.

 

Footnotes:

 

  • 1
    https://shamela.ws/book/37052/16557
  • 2
    https://shamela.ws/book/9442/1124#p1