The two words — struggle and life, when get mixed with the third named ‘effort’ — gradually shape up in mind the figure of what is called Self. A human effort finds the Self in its ongoing resistance in favor of its sincerity to its intention of pursuing something all the time. A majority of them do get an inkling but decide not to think deeper. As a result, their conscious realization doesn’t grasp the fact that they can control if they are honest or not, giving their best shot or not — but they cannot always control if they can win what they are pursuing or not. When they need the most to tenaciously hold on to confidence as they endure the failure — all these Selves grow mute in shy perplexity. While they achieve any success they still miss the sense of completeness in themselves — they keep pursuing more of everything excluding the truth and thus never feel enough with what they already have.

“Knowing and not knowing cannot be equal” (Qur’an 39:9) — so the Self ponders. “Good and bad are not equal though some bad things may please us greatly” (Qur’an 5:100) and at that point, it needs to be careful not to patronize the bad — so it ruminates and develops the understanding. This understanding is supported by something God has given to all able humans and it is known as intellect. Qur’an highlighted several times on humans being admonished by God’s remark: “Why do you not use your intellect?” Intellect can process what would benefit the Self and what wouldn’t. But the choice the Self will make would need not only that knowledge but also the strength of heart to stave off the influencing impulses to hold on to what the intellect finds right. That strength of the heart is ensured through a sense of tranquility, which is bestowed by God to those, who strive to stay sincere after having the faith in it. This inner peace changes the perspective from focusing on the wants to focusing on what the believer already has in possession as it gradually gets hold of ‘feeling enough’.

Four Perspectives on Gratefulness to God

A thoughtful and believing Self would genuinely thank God and praise Him by actively figuring out the positives in life that are happening in good times and also in the days that are not so propitious. One of the valuable indications in the Qur’an for the believing Self is that the interpretation of signs in life will be meaningful to the thankful ones (Qur’an 7:58). On the contrary, those will be turned away from the signs who are arrogant or heedless of the signs on the earth without right (Qur’an 7:146). The execution of valuing the sense of good and evil and then strengthening the heart with gratefulness to God, to patiently abide by that sense, become complex in the following circumstances:

Takers with Strength in Heart: The Self, on its journey on some trackless paths in life, can end up in situations with dire needs of help at any danger or some kind of necessity. The sense of needing help gives it a feeling of powerlessness. This agitates the ego that pushes the Self toward rejection of any authority other than the ‘me’ factor in it. Nonetheless, the sincere Self — holding on to God in these difficult times would be positive as God would not put it in testing affairs and still expect it to be God’s vicegerent on earth (Qur’an 2:30), if it were incapable. This patient reliance on God in hard times brings tranquility in the heart from God.

Outcome: That lowers the cause of people bent on denying the truth and keeps God’s cause as supreme. Done by the One who is Almighty and All-Wise (9:40).

 

Takers with Weakness in Heart: The same Self can be in a situation where it knows it is not completely helpless — it has something to offer in return to the solution to its immediate needs. It becomes anxious to retain the power of doing what it wants and pursues to solve those needs and finds gratitude to God as an obligation. Without the emotional factor attached to the gratefulness, it justifies its self-righteousness. Being imprudent develops a negative feeling toward God as it treats what it already has as the source of freedom. However, asking God, for more of what He has given it, could have replaced the anxiety of losing what it already has with a tranquil bliss — that would be the freedom it was supposed to run after.

Outcome: Staying contended with patience would portray that — abundantly or sparingly — either way all creatures are given providence by God alone, and in the grand scheme of things the disbelievers are not successful (Qur’an 28:82).

 

Givers with Weakness in Heart: When this Self finds itself in the role of a giver, i.e., it possesses something of value to help others in need of that, it arrogantly assumes the favors were the result of its own abilities. The self deviating instinct would portray the current good times are meant for it and it’ll stay as it is. Serving the purpose of utilizing what the Self is given to reflect God’s qualities through itself would make it free from being the slave of its desire and impulses. The means that were given to the Self were not supposed to become the goal of its existence.

Outcome: That exemplifies the test of repelling the evil ones with the good ones — done by the One who possesses the bounty of the worlds (Qur’an 2:251).

 

Givers with Strength in Heart: The Self, in another context, can discover itself in staying unmoved in the face of temptation away from the purpose of God’s blessings. In spite of the awareness of what is right and wrong and the natural tendency to do the right, the Self has the instinct that can deviate it from the right path. That is why the same reminders appearing again and again in the Qur’an are evinced to be a huge blessing from God. The Self with its stronger pull from the heart gives away what it has with neither expecting anything in return from the taker nor settling with a mediocre effort in doing that.

Outcome: That raises believers’ faith with faith as tranquility descends from the One who holds the forces of heaven and earth — done by the One who is All-Knower, All-Wise… to absolve the believers from their misdeeds (Qur’an 48:4–5).

It appears from the perspectives above that the contemporary pandemonium of life will present the Self with highs and lows of constant emotional power struggle in its search of freedom for its ‘Me’ factor. Whether the ego tends to stay active or inactive is immaterial — the choice that serves the purpose of submitting to God after getting hold of faith in heart will define the Self. That choice is determined by the strongest state of heart, governed by gratitude to God, and that strength also may get highs and lows in its undiminished fight with the ego in the arena of the mind. What are the technicalities that cause the strength of heart to be so vital before the Self deliberately decides to pursue one priority over many others?

The Technicalities behind Gratefulness to God

Ego looks for some kind of assurance for what the Self pursues by applying a cause and effect approach in the middle of the uncertain world. While doing this, it progressively gets involved in amplifying its freedom to master the environment. This makes the ‘Me’ factor stronger and more impactful on the mind. God permits the limited freedom for the Self to do this and He refrains from controlling what the Self would choose to stay on the path authorized by Him. In this connection, God would decide whether a particular Self is eligible to make a choice or not (81:29). Nevertheless, the final expression of the Self would make it meaningful to have a Judgment Day and that is possible as the Lord of the Worlds limited His own free will and let the Self emerge and reflect the qualities that God bestowed on it. Interestingly, Qur’an (2:156) suggests there is an element of guidance and directive control as the Self belongs to God, and towards Him, it will return. Furthermore, God knows who is best guided on the path even though each acts after its intrinsic manner (17:84). Consequently, when the Self does not give attention to the purpose of obeying God by reflecting God’s qualities in its day-to-day challenges — having a directive nature — it then starts chasing its passion and vain desires as God (25:43, 45:23). Thus to avoid being concerned with the never-ending wants of the heart, the Self dearly needs to remember what God has given it and that gratefulness to God becomes the means to remain contended.

The expression of ‘thanks and all praise belongs to God’ in Arabic is “Alhamdulillah” and it still exists even if it is not felt or mentioned as God does not require any of the pronouncement from His creation. The creation rather needs guidance towards the upright path while approaching His predilection through gratefulness. Arrogance, pride, desperation, despair — all these are the tools of Satanic influence on the Self. Satan asked God for respite so that it may try these to entice all the Selves saying most of the human Selves would be ungrateful (7:17). This serious threat at the beginning of the journey of humans on earth makes it mandatory for the Self to prove Satan wrong through sincere gratitude to God. Because God had indeed given respite to Satan; however, He did not consign the world to Satan (16:99, 15:42). On the contrary, He is guarding all matters (34:21). Satan does not have any authority over the Self except to the extent that the Self allows him at the expense of its salvation.

The above technicalities shape up the theme of why the Self needs the urge to search the strength of heart to stay awake spiritually. The Gratefulness to God emerges and becomes visible through the deeds of the Self — its attitudes, aspirations, judgments — the final reach, regardless of how many times it reached the lows before ending up high in its fight against impulses.

Impact on Dealing with Deeds

The effect of thankfulness involves a level of goodness in the heart that at some point starts to overflow. Gratefulness is that expression from the heart which has an overflowing effect and it is a sense of decency that is inbuilt in every one since birth. Providing food to eat, creating beasts with usefulness and making the humans their masters, bringing in the rain from the clouds and keeping it palatable (not salty, for example) — all these blessings from God invite the Self to reflect whether His graciousness imposes any responsibility on it or not. Love for God is the result of this gratefulness and it finds the clue at the intersection of myriads of impulses fitted together in the moments the Self passes by. The clue found out of love for God lets it progress towards the path the Self deserves. That is known as the blessings God promised if the Self remains grateful (Qur’an 14:7). God increases whatever the Self needs — be it motivation, a bit of ease in being patient — anything. The trigger point is the gratefulness to God, but for it to happen, the Self would find the overflowing effect of love for God out of it — so that it can then give away what God has given it for others and make its existence meaningful.

Accentuating the sincerity of the truthful and bringing forth the mendacity of the deceitful clarifies the meaningfulness of a Judgment Day — this becomes evident in why the impulses play around the Self. Satan’s target of human arrogance is deterred by gratitude — that seems to be the means to deal with uncertainty. On the untouched tracks of life, the Self would find the love of God around and then feel the urge to value its sense of right and wrong with the force of its emotional experience. The source of that love is gratitude to God — a soothing phenomenon in the tempestuous struggle of the Self.