Quran, mentions God both as Shaker (Thankful) and Shakur (Very Thankful) in many cases, as in verse 158 of Surah Bagharah: وَمَن تَطَوَّعَ خَیراً فَاِنَّ اللهَ شاکِرٌ عَلیمٌ: God will be thankful and aware of anybody (in fact upon his/her deeds) who is obedient in virtuous deeds. In verse 23 of Shura holy surah we writes so: اِنَ اللهَ غَفورٌ شَکورٌ : Truly, God is Forgiving and Thankful. It means that God thanks those people who are engaged in righteous deeds and reveals practically his thanks to them by reaching revenue and blessing to them.
So being grateful to virtuous and active people is one of the God's attributes and is considered a fundamental virtue. So, in fact, those people who possess such a virtue would possess a divine attribute in themselves.
In Islamic narrations, thanks giving to people is considered as equal to thanks giving to God. In this case, we would like to attract your attention to some narrations:
- Messenger, Peace upon Him, said: وَ مَن لَم یَشکُرِ النّاسَ لَم یَشکُرِ اللهَ
Everybody who is not grateful upon people, in fact is not grateful upon the God.
- Imam Sajad, Peace upon Him, said: God will say to his servant in Final Day: اَشکَرتَ فُلاناً ، فَیَقُولُ : بَل شَکَرتُکَ یا رَبِّ فَیَقُولُ لَم تَشکُرنِی اِذلَم تَشکُرهُ
Did you thank people? He says, I thanked you. God will say: Because you were not thankful to people so you are not thankful to me. Then Imam Sajad said: اَشکَرُکُم للهِ اَشکَرُکُم لِلنّاسِ
The most thankful to people will be the most thankful to God
- Imam Sadegh, Peace upon Him, said: اُشکُر مَن اَنعَمَ عَلَیکَ: Be thankful upon that person who benefits you.
- Imam Reza, Peace upon Him, said: مَن لَم یَشکُرِ المُنعِمَ مِنَ المَخلُوقِینَ لَم یَشکُرِ اللهَ عَزَّوَجَلَّ: those who are not thankful upon beneficial creatures, in fact are not thankful to god.
- Also said: مَن لَم یَشکُر والِدَیهِ لَم یَشکُرِ اللهَ: Those who are not thankful upon their parents, in fact are not thankful to the God.
