شكر

Core meaning

To acknowledge the blessing received and to answer it: to be grateful; the opposite of disowning.

Uses

1. شَكَرَ, يَشْكُرُ, ٱشْكُرْ → "to be grateful", "to acknowledge" : to answer a blessing with gratitude; "to acknowledge" when the verb pairs with "to disown".

   • «فَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ» — "Guard yourselves, then, toward God, perhaps you will be grateful" (3:123)
   • «وَٱشْكُرُوا۟ لِى وَلَا تَكْفُرُونِ» — "be grateful to Me, and do not disown Me" (2:152)
   • «ءَأَشْكُرُ أَمْ أَكْفُرُ» — "will I acknowledge, or will I disown?" (27:40)

2. شَاكِر, ٱلشَّٰكِرُون → "grateful", "the grateful" : the one who acknowledges the blessing.

   • «وَسَيَجْزِى ٱللَّهُ ٱلشَّٰكِرِينَ» — "and God will recompense the grateful" (3:144)
   • «إِمَّا شَاكِرًۭا وَإِمَّا كَفُورًا» — "be he grateful or be he disowning" (76:3)

3. شَكُور (human) → "very grateful", "grateful" : the intensive form: one whose gratitude does not slacken.

   • «لِّكُلِّ صَبَّارٍۢ شَكُورٍۢ» — "for every very patient, very grateful one" (14:5)
   • «إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ عَبْدًۭا شَكُورًۭا» — "He was a grateful obedient one" (17:3)

4. شَاكِر, شَكُور (God) → "Grateful", "Most-Grateful" : attribute of God, who acknowledges the good done and the effort; شَكُور is its intensive form, "Most-Grateful".

   • «فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَاكِرٌ عَلِيمٌ» — "God is indeed Grateful, All-Knowing" (2:158)
   • «إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌۭ شَكُورٌ» — "God is indeed Most-Forgiving, Most-Grateful" (42:23)

5. شُكْر, شُكُور, مَشْكُور → "gratitude", "acknowledged" : the name of the act, and the effort that receives acknowledgment.

   • «لَا نُرِيدُ مِنكُمْ جَزَآءًۭ وَلَا شُكُورًا» — "we desire from you neither recompense nor gratitude" (76:9)
   • «فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ كَانَ سَعْيُهُم مَّشْكُورًۭا» — "those are the ones whose effort will be acknowledged" (17:19)

Evidence from the text

Gratitude always answers a named blessing: God overlooking the fault (2:52), life given back after death (2:56), provision (2:172, 16:114), the night and the day (28:73), the vessels on the sea (16:14, 45:12). The formula "perhaps you will be grateful" closes these reminders, and the observation answers it: "How little you are grateful!" (7:10).

The verb pairs with كفر, to disown: "If you are grateful, I shall surely increase you; but if you disown, My punishment is surely severe." (14:7). Sulayman sees in the blessing a test, "will I acknowledge, or will I disown?" (27:40), and draws the rule from it: whoever acknowledges does so only for himself (27:40, 31:12).

God Himself is called Grateful, and Most-Grateful (35:30, 42:23, 64:17): He acknowledges the good done willingly (2:158) and the effort of the one who wants the last life (17:19). Gratitude therefore goes both ways: man acknowledges the blessing, and God acknowledges the effort, "and your effort has been met with gratitude" (76:22).

Distinctions

• كفر — to disown: to refuse to acknowledge the blessing, the exact opposite
• حمد — praise: to state the worth of the one praised, whereas شكر answers a blessing received

See also

نعم (the blessing)