Ingratitude about God’s bounties is also regarded as one of the greater sins and the Qura’n has promised Hell for it. In verse 28 and 29 of Surah Ibrahim it says:

“Have you not seen those who have changed God’s bounties by ingratitude and caused their people to dwell in the house of destruction?” Hell in which they will burn and what an evil abode it is.”

What does the boiunties of god mean in this verse? Some early commentators have followed the ancient hadiths and declared the Holy Messenger to be the “bounties”. There is also an hadith from Imam Sadiq to have said:

“By God! We are the bounties of God that He has bestowed on his servants and it is through us that people attain success.” (1)

The word “Nahnu” or we refers to the Holy Messenger and his progeny and if it refers

to the infallible Imams then the first to be included is the Holy Messenger. This will be clearer when we study the traditions.

Anyway, even though the existence of the Holy Messenger and the infallible Imams are a great boon but the meaning of the verse cannot be restricted to them and it should include all the bounties of God.

The commentators have named the Bani Omaiyya and Bani Mogheera as those who showed ingratitude for God’s bounties. This may be taken to be correct but again it is not restricted to them. We have to be grateful for the bounties of God and use them for our benefits but if this gratitude changes into ingratitude then it merits Hell. (2)

1. Tafsir Ali bin Ibrahim vol.1 page 371

2. Tafsir Al Mizan says that one word is fateful for it says they change the bounties with ingratitude.