In chapter 31 verse 12, the Holy Quran mentions the great wisdom of ‘Gratitude’ granted to Luqman.

وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا لُقْمَانَ الْحِكْمَةَ أَنِ اشْكُرْ لِلَّهِ وَمَن يَشْكُرْ فَإِنَّمَا يَشْكُرُ لِنَفْسِهِ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ حَمِيدٌ

“And surely, We blessed Luqman with the wisdom, that ‘Be grateful to Allah. And whoever shows gratitude, does so for his own benefit; and whoever shows ingratitude, then surely Allah is Self-Sufficient, Worthy of all praise.”

[Al-Quran Chapter 31, Verse 12]

Whether the expression of gratitude is by silently acknowledging blessings of Allah in the form of all that we have or it is by writing a few lines in the gratitude journal, it is reported to have several scientifically proven benefits[1]. Gratitude makes us healthier and happier[2]. It strengthens our emotions making us less envious of others[3]. Positive emotions including gratitude have been linked with longer and happier life[4]. Gratitude makes us more optimistic[5] and less materialistic. Materialism is negatively correlated with happiness and wellbeing[6]. Gratitude enhances our self-esteem and spirituality[7]. It improves our sleep[8] [9], and strengthens our physiological functions and immune system[10] [11]. A list of benefits of Gratitude compiled by Amit Amin, based on 40 different research studies, comprises more than two dozen physical, emotional, social, professional and spiritual benefits of gratitude, including those given as follows[12]:

[1] https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/what-mentally-strong-people-dont-do/201504/7-scientifically-proven-benefits-gratitude

[2] http://happierhuman.com/benefits-of-gratitude/

[3] http://emmons.faculty.ucdavis.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/90/2015/08/2011_2-16_Sheldon_Chapter-16-11.pdf

[4] Positive Emotions in Early Life and Longevity: Findings From The Nun Study https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/psp805804.pdf

[5] The Grateful Disposition: A Conceptual and Empirical Topography http://www.psy.miami.edu/faculty/mmccullough/Papers/The%20Grateful%20Disposition_JPSP.pdf

[6] Materialism and diminished well-being: experiential avoidance as a mediating mechanism. http://toddkashdan.com/articles/materialism_&_well-being.pdf

[7] Gratitude as human strength: Appraising the evidence. http://guilfordjournals.com/doi/abs/10.1521/jscp.2000.19.1.56?journalCode=jscp

[8] Counting Blessings Versus Burdens: An Experimental Investigation of Gratitude and Subjective Well-Being in Daily Life http://www.breakthroughealing.org/Documents/GratitudeStudy2003.pdf

[9] Gratitude Influences Sleep Through the Mechanism of Pre-Sleep Cognitions. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19073292

[10] Optimism is associated with mood, coping and immune change in response to stress. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9654763

[11] Social cognitive theory of posttraumatic recovery: The role of perceived self efficacy. http://www.uky.edu/~eushe2/Bandura/Bandura2004CTR.pdf

[12] http://happierhuman.com/benefits-of-gratitude/