But Allah has said that when the value of one hundred years...

But Allah has said that when the value of one hundred years of prayer is one tumbler of water, then he must settle the value of the water he had been drinking over the last hundred years.” When the pious person heard this, he was shocked and shouted, “O Prophet (S)! Recommend to Allah to forgive my sins! Allah is Beneficent and Merciful!” Prophet Musa (as) got the Revelation, “Tell the pious person!

Your penitence of this moment pleased us more than your prayers of a hundred years and we have given to you rewards for a thousand years of prayers!” The Second Trait: Thankfulness For The Bounties Among the human virtues, one prominent virtue is gratitude for the bounties received. The opposite of this virtue is ingratitude and thanklessness. Gratitude for the Bounties can be the forerunner of more Bounties coming the person’s way.

Ingratitude or taking the Bounties for granted might be the cause of reduction in the Bounties bestowed on the person. The Prophet (S) has said, “Offering thanks to Allah after a meal has the same reward as for having fasted during the month of Ramadhan.” A person expressing his thanks to Allah for a comfortable life is the same as another person thanking the Creator after relief from his difficulties!

A rich person expressing gratitude to Allah is the same as a poor, contented person thanking Allah for the square meal he has received! Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (as) says that one must say ‘ Alhamdulillah’ for every good thing he experiences. Thankfulness to Allah on acquisition of wealth is giving a part of it to the needy and the deserving. Thankfulness to Allah for endowing the power of speech is expressing His Praise ( Hamd) and Encomium ( Sana) .

Similarly, thanking Allah for endowing other senses and making their use in furthering the causes dear to Him. The biggest Bounty Allah has bestowed on humanity is the Delegation of Muhammad (S) as the Prophet and his Holy Progeny (as) as the Vicegerents to guide the humanity on the Right Path. The only way for expressing gratefulness in this regard is to implicitly follow the norms of do’s-and-don’ts laid down by them.

When a person thinks of the uncountable Bounties of Allah, he spontaneously utters,’ Alhamdu lillahi Rab il Aalameen- Praise be to the Creator Lord of the worlds.’ If one thinks over a morsel of food he is in the process of eating, he will realize that Allah has, in the creation of that small morsel, bestowed so much care.