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Fatwa CenterThanking Allaah for His favours in detail
Question
Is it must to mention favors of God on regular basis in prayer or Du'a, for instance to thank for eyes, ears, accidents one escaped in life while driving, etc.
It entails lots of time if done on regular basis like Salat each day because one keeps remembering numerous blessings. Please explain in reference to Quranic verses, which say to "mention the favors God bestowed on you", "protect the favors by thanking Him... "
This also interferes with concentration on Namaz a little as the process of saying Salat and then later thanking God in detail warrants sometimes to do all in haste due to time limits.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
It is not an obligation on a person to remember Allaah's Favours and Bounties on him on a regular basis and in details. However, one should be thankful and grateful to Allaah for His Favours and Bounties in general. Nonetheless, there is no harm in being grateful and thankful to Him about some specific Favours He bestowed upon the person, if the context requires. For instance, when escaping an accident one should thank Allaah, and when being cured from a disease or blessed with money or children. Indeed Allaah's Bounties and Favours on a person are countless, as Allaah said in His Book. One of His great Favours is enabling a person to recognize that all the Favours are from Allaah. The Prophet 
said: "Whoever says when he wakes up from sleep: "O Allaah, what blessing I or any of Your creation have risen upon, is from You alone, You have no partners, so for You is all praise and unto You all thanks." he has indeed offered his day’s thanks."
Nonetheless, a person is not only obliged to thank Allaah but he should also ask Allaah to enable him to be grateful and thankful to Him. The Prophet said to Mu'aath Ibn Jabal 
: "Do not forget to say in [after performing] every prayer: 'O Allaah, help me to mention You, to thank You, and to worship You in the best of manners." [An-Nasaa'ee] Another narration reads: "…After concluding every prayer." [Abu Daawood and Ahmad], and all these narrations are authentic. It should be noted as well that being thankful and grateful to Allaah is not done only with one's tongue, but this is done both with the heart and limbs. For instance, performing the prayer is a form of being thankful and grateful to Allaah. Al-Mugheerah Ibn Shu'bah said: "The Prophet used to perform the prayer until his feet [or legs] become swollen. It would be said to him: "Why are you exhausting yourself in worship while all your sins are forgiven." He replied: "Shall I not be a grateful slave?" [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] Abu Sa'eed Al-Khaadimi
said: 'The reality of being thankful and grateful to Allaah is to obey Allaah with all your limbs, openly and in secret. Being grateful with your eyes is not to look at what is forbidden and not to reveal a sin that you saw your friend doing, being grateful with the ears is to hear the truth only and to conceal a sin that you heard, and being grateful with the tongue is not to tell lies or slander people, and being thankful with the heart is not to be forgetful about the mention of Allaah [and then disobey Him and be neglectful about religious obligations], and being thankful with the hands is not to take or consume what is forbidden with them, and being thankful with one's feet, is not to walk to forbidden places, and being grateful with the stomach is not to eat or consume what is not lawful, and being grateful with one's private parts is not to commit adultery or fornication.'
Allaah Knows best.
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