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Showing posts with label The Multiplier of Rewards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Multiplier of Rewards. Show all posts

Monday 4 November 2019

99 Attributes of Allah: Ash Shakur - The Multiplier of Rewards


Ash Shakur " ٱلْشَّكُورُ " (pronounced Ash Shkoor) The Most Appreciative and The Multiplier of Rewards, is He, the Allah Almighty.


لِيُوَفِّيَهُمۡ اُجُوۡرَهُمۡ وَيَزِيۡدَهُمۡ مِّنۡ فَضۡلِهٖ ؕ اِنَّهٗ غَفُوۡرٌ شَكُوۡرٌ‏ 

"(a trade in which they have invested their all) so that Allah may pay them their wages in full and may add to them out of His Bounty. He is Most Forgiving, the One Who multiplies the rewards." [Surah 35. Fatir: 30]

The verse mentioned above says it all about the Ash Shakur attribute of Allah, wherein it is being said: This kind of conduct and practice of the believers has been likened to a trade bargain because in trade a man invests his money and labor and capabilities in the hope that he will not only get his capital back and his wages for the time and energy spent but in addition some profit as well. Likewise, a believer also invests his wealth and his time and his labor and capabilities in carrying out Allah’s commands and in His service and worship and in the struggle to promote the cause of His religion in the hope that he will not only get his full rewards for it but Allah will bless him with much more from His bounty as well. But there is a great difference between the two kinds of bargains. In the worldly trade bargains there is the risk of loss also along with the hope of profits. Contrary to this, in the bargain that a sincere servant makes with his God there is no risk of any loss whatever.

That is, Allah’s relation with the sincere believers is not that of a miserly master who checks his servant on trivialities and brings all his services and loyalties to naught on account of a minor error. But Allah is the Most Beneficent and Generous Master. He overlooks the errors of His obedient servant and appreciates whatever service he might be able to render.

No man is perfect. Everyone has his fault. But when a man tries his best in the service of Allah, his faults are blotted out, and he is treated as if he had committed no faults: "for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, and ready to appreciate service". Allah is ever ready to recognize, appreciate, and reward the smallest service, without regard to the defects in that service. His gracious acceptance is compared to "gratitude" among men.

Of the four occasions on which Allah’s name Ash Shakur is mentioned in the Quran, it’s paired three times with Al Ghafur. He is the Oft-and-All Forgiving and the Most Appreciative; even if we commit sins we can return to Him for forgiveness and a reward for the good we do. Ash Shakur says: And whoever commits a good deed – We will increase for him good therein. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Appreciative. [Quran, 42:23]

In Surah 42. Ash-Shura, verse 23, Allah says:
"That is the Bounty of which Allah gives tidings to His servants who have faith and do good deeds. Tell them, (O Prophet): “I do not ask you for any recompense for my work except love towards kinsfolk.” Whoever does a good deed, We shall increase its merit for him. Surely Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Appreciative."
That is Allah, the Al-Shakur, appreciates every good deed His servants do, doubling His rewards for them. His way of thanking them is by giving them of His bounties though He was the One Who enabled them to do such good deeds in the first place. He enables His servants to be grateful for the blessings which He bestows upon them, so He rewards them even for small acts of obedience to Him with an abundance of His good things. He grants for a few days' endeavor bliss in the hereafter that never ends.

Shakur stems from the root sh-k-r which has the classical Arabic connotations like: (1) to acknowledge beneficence, (2) to praise or commend for a benefit or benefits, (3) to offer thanks, acknowledgement, (4) to be thankful, grateful, (5) to produce, supply, give forth bountifully.

Jabir ibn Abdullah al-Ansari has quoted the Messenger of Allah saying, “If one is given something while being capable of finding a way to likewise give, let him do so, but if he is not, then let him praise the giver, for one who remains silent and says nothing commits kufr, apostasy. And if one were to put on clothes which he was not given, he would then be like one who wears two outfits of forgery.”

In another hadith quoted in the Muslim, the Prophet of Allah very aptly explained the meaning of the attribute Ash Shakur:
“Whosoever relieves from a believer some grief pertaining to this world, Allah will relieve from him some grief pertaining to the Hereafter. Whosoever alleviates the difficulties of a needy person who cannot pay his debt, Allah will alleviate his difficulties in both this world and the Hereafter. Whosoever conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults in this world and the Hereafter. Allah will aid a servant (of His) so long as the servant aids his brother.” 
When it comes to doing good, some of us are hesitant. ‘I am such a sinner!’ We may think, ‘Will Allah really appreciate the pathetic deeds that I do when I commit such horribly bad deeds?’  Allah says, “Surely our Lord is indeed Ever-Forgiving, Appreciative”(Qur’an, 35:34), and  “He is most forgiving, most appreciative.” (Qur’an, 35:30). This gives us the reassurance that even if we commit sinful deeds, we can return to Allah and He will, In Sha Allah (God willing) forgive us, while rewarding us for the good.

Ash Shakur bestows His countless bounties on a person when he is thankful to his Creator for the blessings, He enables the person to do more good. This indicates that gratitude is a means to increase bounties. He is most ready to appreciate, accept and give reward for a small deed. He does not look at quantity. One good deed is rewarded up to ten times. Now it is on the person how much he wants to exert for the sake of Allah, the Ash Shakur.
"If you give Allah a goodly loan, He will increase it for you several fold and will forgive you. Allah is Most Appreciative, Most Forbearing." [Surah 64. At-Tagabun: 17]
Thus every believer should do good to others, specially those in need, for Allah is pleased when His believers help and aid their fellow brethren. And in return pays us much more that we may have never imagined.

You may refer to our post "99 Attributes of Allah" for complete list of 99 attributes of Allah Almighty with meaning and explanation.

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