M6:3254 — شکر می‌کن مر خدا را در نعم / نیز می‌کن شکر و ذکر خواجه هم

Translation: I offer thanks to God for His bounties, And I also offer thanks and remembrance to the benefactor (khwāja).

Meaning: The verse emphasizes a dual form of gratitude: one must thank God for all blessings, and simultaneously thank the human agent or benefactor (khwāja) through whom those blessings were delivered.

At first glance, this verse might appear simple and straightforwardly ethical, yet as is characteristic of Mowlana, beneath this apparent simplicity lies profound wisdom that transcends intricate theological debates and reaches the very heart of truth. I consider this verse a masterpiece in articulating the most practical aspect of gratitude, one that is deeply rooted in the concept of Tawḥīd-i Afʿālī (the Oneness of God's Acts).

Mowlana explicitly states here that one must offer thanks to God and to the 'khwāja' (benefactor) who has served as an intermediary for a blessing. This statement, when viewed against the backdrop of complex theological discussions between the Ash'arites and Mu'tazilites, takes a remarkably clear and decisive stance. The Ash'arites believed that gratitude to a benefactor was obligatory solely by religious decree, not by reason. That is, human reason could not independently discern such an obligation; it was only binding if religion commanded it. In contrast, the Mu'tazilites argued that reason itself dictates the goodness of thanking a benefactor and deems it obligatory. Mowlana, without any 'ifs' or 'buts,' sides with the Mu'tazilites—and indeed with intrinsic human wisdom—by deeming gratitude to both essential.

Do not mistake this for a mere theological or historical point. No! This is profoundly practical. I have always emphasized the saying: 'Whoever does not thank the creature has not thanked the Creator.' This insight from Mowlana, this wisdom, is a path to seeing the hand of God behind the hands of human beings. When you perceive the generous hand of a person, you are, in truth, seeing the generous hand of God, extended through the sleeve of His servant. This 'seeing the hand of God' is precisely what Mowlana calls 'divine grace' or tawfiq. That 'khwāja' could only be generous because God granted them the tawfiq for generosity. Therefore, when you offer thanks to the 'khwāja,' you are, in reality, thanking the divine tawfiq itself, which originates from God.

This is a deeply unifying theological perspective. In our acts of gratitude, we must neither be limited to the intermediaries and forget the true Benefactor, nor, under the pretext of thanking the true Benefactor, neglect to thank the intermediaries. Neglecting to thank the intermediaries is, in effect, neglecting the manifestation of Truth in the world of creation. The khwāja who acts generously is a manifestation of divine mercy. Thus, thanking them is thanking this manifestation, and ultimately, thanking the source of the manifestation itself. This is the meaning of the servant's right joining the Right of God: 'His right is doubtless joined to God's Right.' This is a spiritual intertwining in which every act of kindness from a creature is considered a blessing from the Creator, and every act of gratitude returns to its ultimate source. This is the 'God-seeing eye' that only reaches its perfection within the school of mysticism.

Key takeaways

• Gratitude is dual: to God, and to the human intermediary of blessings (the 'khwāja').
• Thanking a creature is, in essence, thanking the Creator, as God's hand is behind every act of kindness.
• Mowlana takes a clear stance on the rational obligation of gratitude to a benefactor, bypassing theological complexities.
• Divine grace (tawfiq) is the root cause of human generosity; thus, thanking a servant is thanking this divine enablement.