Question:
Is seeking knowledge considered showing gratitude for the blessings?
Answer:
Yes, from the most honourable of gratitude for blessings, it’s a blessing, and your seeking knowledge is a blessing, and continuance upon it is showing gratitude for the blessing, your holding onto the Sunnah is a blessing, and your seeking knowledge and understanding in that is a blessing, your memorizing the Qur’an is a blessing, and your safeguarding it so it doesn’t leave you is a blessing, so all of it is blessings,
(وَمَا بِكُم مِّن نِّعْمَةٍ فَمِنَ ٱللَّهِۖ)
“And whatever of blessings and good things you have, it is from Allah.” [An-Nahl: 53]
So it’s a great blessing by Allaah, seeking knowledge, and there is great gratitude to it, continuing upon it and implementing and acting upon it.
And the Prophet ﷺ used to implement gratitude in his actions and statements, so he would stand until his feet would swell, “I would like to be a thankful slave”, so this is from implementing and this is from showing gratitude for the blessings, Allaah bestowed upon him blessings so showed gratitude with acts of worship, seeking knowledge is an act of worship and continuing upon it is an act of worship, blessings are showed gratitude by blessings.
Shaafi’i said: “Alhamdulillaah the One who it is not considered showing gratitude to His blessings except with a another blessing from Him which requires showing gratitude similar to it.”
Deep speech, it’s not considered showing gratitude to His blessing except with a blessing from a blessing, Allaah grants you success, and this is a blessing from His blessings which necessitates gratitude.
So then you are constantly showing gratitude, even you being granted to success in showing gratitude requires gratitude that Allaah granted you success to that, your showing gratitude to this blessing upon you with it, it’s obligatory for you to show gratitude to Allaah for it, some of them said:
***إذا كان شكري الله نعمة علي له بها يستوجب الشكر
فكيف بلوغ الشكر إلا بفضله وإن طالت الإيام واتصلت العمر***
***If my showing gratitude to Allaah is a blessing then upon me is to show gratitude for this blessing
So how can we reach showing gratitude to Him except by His grace, even if the days pass and the age is extended***
There’s nothing except the grace of Allaah that He submersed you in His mercy, or else you’re not able to show gratitude to the blessing of Allaah, because blessings all go back to Allaah, and grace of Allaah and granting of success from Him.
So all those who show gratitude to the blessing of Allaah, with a blessing bestowed upon him from Allaah, Allaah made it obligatory to show gratitude for that blessing which he showed gratitude to him for.
Answered by: Shaykh, the Allamah, the Trustworthy Advisor, Abu Abdirrahman Yahya bin Ali Al-Hajuri – may Allah preserve him
Source: https://t.me/sh_yahia_duroos/9723
Translated by: Abū ‘Abdillāh ‘Omar bin Yahya Al-‘Akawi