Thanksgiving in Islam

Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday valued greatly in the United States, Canada, some of the Caribbean islands, and Liberia. This holiday gives us a message of gratitude to God Almighty. There are some special ways in which we traditionally celebrate this day. Although it may mean different things to different people but it is celebrated by people of all faiths and cultures.

In America, Thanksgiving holiday began as a feast in the early days of the American colonies almost 400 years ago. It all started when Gov. William Bradford of New England held a harvest festival to thank God for the outstanding corn yield. After that, many of the original colonists celebrated the autumn harvest with a feast of thanks. After independence, President George Washington suggested November 26th as the Thanksgiving Day and later in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln asked all Americans to set aside the 4th Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day. In Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October. The first Canadian Thanksgiving was celebrated on April 15, 1872, to express thankfulness on the recovery of the future King Edward VII from a serious illness. Nowadays, Thanksgiving in the USA and Canada has become a family reunion event.

In Islam, there is no day set aside for giving thanks to God. On the other hand, Islam teaches its followers to thank God and show gratitude to Him several times a day. God tells us in the Qur’an “If you are grateful, I will, surely, bestow more favors on you” (14:8). The Qur’anic term for thanks is ‘Shukr’ and Islam teaches three types of ‘shukr’. First is realization of the need of gratitude and being grateful in one’s heart. Second is the gratitude that one expresses verbally. Third category of thankfulness is reflecting gratitude through one’s actions, that is, for example by spending one’s wealth on those who are less fortunate. Islam teaches us that the best way to thank God is by caring for the needy. The Qur’an further says, “And God will certainly reward the grateful” (3:145). The concept of giving thanks goes hand in hand with sacrifice of money and time etc. because we cannot attain virtue unless we share for the sake of God and for good for mankind what we love most. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “One who is not grateful to others is not grateful to God.” The act of gratitude promotes social peace and harmony. Teachings of my faith inspire me to have a good, respectful, and grateful relationship with family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers.

As a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, I believe that the best way to celebrate Thanksgiving is by remembering the poor and homeless. Also, we should not forget to thank God Almighty every day, who has given us so much without us even asking for it. Let's be grateful with our heart and soul.