The Blessings of Gratitude and Shukr | IqraSense.com

The Blessings of Gratitude and Shukr (Thanks to Allah)

The Blessings of Gratitude and Shukr (Thanks to Allah)
The Blessings of Gratitude and Shukr (Thanks to Allah)

Gratitude (shukr) is about expressing thanks and appreciation to those who do any favor to us. Obviously, none can come close to our creator, Allah, who gave us everything. As the Quran states: “Who created you, fashioned you perfectly, and gave you due proportion” [Infitar 82:7]. As humans, Allah has bestowed on us the nature to be grateful and we should thus express that gratitude not just to Allah but to the people whom we deal with as well. In many places in the Quran, Allah divides people as being grateful and as ungrateful to motivate us to join the camp of those who are grateful. In one of such verses, Prophet Sulaiman said, as stated in the Quran, “. . . then when (Sulaiman (Solomon)) saw it placed before him, he said: “This is by the Grace of my Lord to test me whether I am grateful or ungrateful! And whoever is grateful, truly, his gratitude is for (the good of) his own self, and whoever is ungrateful, (he is ungrateful only for the loss of his own self). Certainly! My Lord is Rich (Free of all wants), Bountiful” [An-Naml: 40]

Alhamdulillah shukr

Having a sense of gratitude is thus a great blessing and those of us who instill that sense within themselves not only seek Allahs pleasure but embody a sense of happiness, relieving us of the many pressures and anxieties. Although the blessings and benefits of gratitude are many, this post highlights certain important ones that you should recognize and use as a means to motivate that sense within yourselves.

Quran Islam Allah Dua



Gratitude is knowing that whatever we have is from Allah. Gratitude helps us focus our minds on Allah, something that has unfortunately become so difficult today on account of life’s distractions and attractions. Gratitude, therefore, corrects our perceptions by reminding us that everything that happens to us doesn’t happen because of its own volition and thus we shouldn’t take matters for “granted”. Allah says in the Quran: “And whatever of blessings and good things you have, it is from Allah” [al-Nahl 16:53]. He also says, “And He found you poor and made you rich (self?sufficient with self?contentment)” [al-Duha 93:8]. Let’s therefore constantly remind ourselves of Allah’s bounties by expressing our gratitude to Him in prayers and at other times.

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shukr gratitude Allah

Gratitude helps in warding off punishment from Allah. Not recognizing Allah’s blessings can prevent us from gaining His pleasure. We know that if Allah were to punish us for our negligence, He would be justified for it. He says in the Quran: “If Allah took mankind to task by that which they deserve, He would not leave a living creature on the surface of the earth; but He grants them reprieve unto an appointed term, and when their term comes – then verily Allah is Ever All-Seer of His slaves” [Fatir (35):45]. At the same time though, Allah provides us a way to escape that punishment by being thankful to Him. He says, “Why should Allah punish you if you have thanked (Him) and have believed in Him. And Allah is Ever All-Appreciative (of good), All-Knowing [(An-Nisa, Verse #147)]. Gratitude, therefore, is not an option and we should clean our hearts to thank Allah for everything that He has provided us.

dua thanks Allah

Gratitude helps us to slow down and to enjoy what we have rather than always waiting for the next wish to come true. Gratitude can help us recognize that we already have enough of what many people have for long been yearning for. We must therefore tame our Nafs to understand that if we can’t find happiness in the blessings that we have today, then we won’t be happy with what we get tomorrow. You see, gratitude is a sense of fulfillment that comes not from wanting more but rather from a sense of knowing that Allah has already blessed us with what we need. In one of the hadiths the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “…if the son of Adam has one valley, he will wish that he had a second, and if he had two valleys, he would wish that he had a third. The stomach of the son of Adam will be filled only with dust (i.e., he is never satisfied)…” (Reported by Ahmad, 5/219; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1781). So, let’s use gratitude to learn to enjoy what we have rather than fretting over what we don’t.

gratitude thanks allah

Gratitude sought by exercising patience against unlawful desires prevents us from harmful consequences later. This was very aptly addressed by Ibn Qayyim, who stated that “Patience in resisting desires is easier than patience in dealing with the consequences that result from going along with desires, because it either leads to pain and punishment or it prevents a more complete pleasure, . . . or it deprives one of a blessing, having which is more pleasurable and better than fulfilling desires, . . . or it cuts off an oncoming blessing, or it has a negative impact on one’s character that will remain, because deeds have a great impact on one’s character and behavior.” [Al-Fawaa’id (p. 139)]

Gratitude trains our minds to focus on the right things in life. It’s akin to walking in a room filled with various colored items and focusing only on items of a specific color. If you do so, your mind will be able to easily mask the other colors as you focus on items of that specific color. Our life is no different. When we let our minds look for problems, we see plenty of them. Instead, if we rather look away from problems and focus on possibilities and go for solutions, we will get those too. Let’s, therefore, use gratitude to motivate ourselves to find possibilities and solutions and not the negatives associated with problems.

shukr Allah

Gratitude helps us recognize other people’s favors to us. The Prophet through his sayings made it quite clear that expressing our gratitude to Allah by thanking Him also involves that we thank people who do favors for us. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said as narrated by Abu Hurairah: “He who does not thank people, does not thank Allah” (Ahmad, Tirmidhi). He also said: “Whoever does you a favor, then reciprocate, and if you cannot find anything with which to reciprocate, then pray for him until you think that you have reciprocated him”  Abu Dawood (1672). In another hadith, he said: “Whoever has a favor done for him and says to the one who did it, ‘Jazak Allahu khayran,’ has done enough to thank him” [Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi]. Let’s therefore ensure that we do our part to sincerely thank our families and those who have done good to us.

Gratitude isn’t about ignoring our problems. On the contrary, gratitude helps us to be patient, accepting of life’s trials, and accordingly trains us to seek personal fulfillment with less. Gratitude thus makes us “low maintenance” in our demands and expectations. This trait reduces our burden on those around us, making our company more pleasing to others instead of leaving us always unhappy, more demanding, and impossible to please because of unending requirements.

Gratitude is going beyond words and instead thanking through our actions. We see this in the example of the prophet whose sins were forgiven by Allah although he continued to strive for His pleasure. It was narrated that Aa’ishah said: “When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) prayed, he would stand for so long that his feet would become swollen. ‘Aa’ishah said: O Messenger of Allah, are you doing this when Allah has forgiven your past and future sins? He said: “O ‘Aa’ishah, should I not be a thankful slave?” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (4557) and Muslim (2820). Let’s, therefore, pray the extra nawafil as one way to thank Allah for His blessings.

Gratitude helps increase one’s blessings. Allah says: “And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: ‘If you give thanks (by accepting Faith and worshipping none but Allah), I will give you more (of My Blessings); but if you are thankless, verily, My punishment is indeed severe’” [Ibraaheem 14:7] Let’s, therefore, make thanking Allah part of morning and evening remembrances (adhkars) to get more of Allah’s blessings in our lives.

Gratitude helps us to get the pleasure of Allah in the hereafter when in Paradise we express our gratitude to Allah for His blessings to enter us into paradise. Abul-Abbaas al-Qurtubi said: “. . . gratitude for blessings – even if they are few – is a means of attaining the pleasure of Allah, may He be exalted, which is the noblest situation of the people of Paradise. When the people of Paradise say, “You (Allah) have given to us what You have not given to anyone among Your creation,” Allah will say to them: “Shall I not give you something better than that?” They will say, “What is it? Have You not brightened our faces, and admitted us to Paradise and saved us from Hell?” Allah will say, “I bestow My pleasure upon you, and I will never be angry with you after that.” [Al-Mufhim lima ashkala min Talkhees Kitaab Muslim (7/60, 61)]. What better reward can we expect? So, why not be grateful to Him for what He has provided us day and night?

power of dua book

Conclusion

Gratitude’s importance was emphasized by the Prophet when he took the hand of Mu’aadh ibn Jabal and said: “O Mu’aadh, by Allah I love you, by Allah I love you.” Then he said, “I advise you, O Mu’aadh, do not fail to say this after every prayer: O Allah help me to remember You, to thank You and to worship You properly.” The Arabic version of this Hadith is the following. Let’s ensure that we memorize it and recite it after every prayer.

shukr-dua

Allahumma A’inni Ala dhikrika wa shukrika wa husni ibadatika

Finally, remember that being grateful is not an option and being one brings us closer to those whom we thank and appreciate.

— End

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74 comments… add one
  • Anonymous Link Reply

    Truely all praises all thanks all the glory all the greatness all the beauty all the knowledge belongs to our Allah to whom belongs whatever exists, upon Whom all the creations are dependent and He is dependent to None..He is One and doesn’t need anyone’s help but all the creatures need His help…Allah u Akbar…….

  • Muhammad Asif Link Reply

    Really inspirational article mashaAllah, I will definitely share it on my pages of facebook.
    Jazakallahu khair.
    May Allah bless you and accept your all efforts in His cause, and give you the best reward for this, Ameen Ya Allah.

  • Mohammad Ayaz Khan Link Reply

    very nice ! Thankful to Allah in every situation.

  • Mahmoud Sani Link Reply

    Jazakumullah khairal jaza

  • Abdul Waheed Link Reply

    I love this article.May Allah accept all our ibadah from us and subsequently grant us Al-jannah Firdaus.(ameen)

  • Naj Link Reply

    Askm
    Subhanallah walhamdulillah wa laa ilaaha illallahu wallahu Akbar
    Shukr towards our Creator is verily what will bring us all in Paradise insha Allah. May Allah help us see the good in what He has decreed for us in destiny. Ameen.

  • Ibrahim Link Reply

    Assalamou alaikoum. very enriching indeed. May ALLAH make us to be thankful. Ameen. may ALLAH guide us. Wassalamou alaikoum.

  • sithy Link Reply

    Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge with us. Very informative, well written. May allah bless you.

  • Sameena Link Reply

    Alahamdulillah. JazakAllah. An excellent article to shake us out of our lethargy and make us aware of every blessing of Allah for which gratitude is due.’“Low maintenance” in our demands and expectations”‘ from life would certainly make us content and thankful for what Allah has blessed us with.
    “Patience in resisting desires is easier than patience in dealing with the consequences that result from going along with desires”. If only we could be wise enough to note this and remember it whenever the nafs holds sway! May Allah grant us all good sense and gratefulness. Aameen

  • Mukhtar Link Reply

    O’ ALLAH, MAKE US OF THOSE WHO REMEMBER YOU AT ALL TIMES. AMEEN.

  • Lily Sabrina Link Reply

    Another wonderful article! Thank you for sharing! I am learning a lot from your article. Thank you.

  • salam thank u so much walahi i learn more

  • May Allah grant us all good sense and gratefulness. Aameen

  • Mahmudbelel Link Reply

    May God reward you abundantly for your seamless contribution towards enlightening the muslim ummah

  • Article was quite impressive, these type of articles should be read to keep us on the right track, oh Allah please help us to say thanks to your endless blessings that we do not deserve.\

    Regards,
    Omair hassan

  • laila sobhee Link Reply

    Oh Allah help me to remember and to thank you in the best of manners.

  • Sooriyah Link Reply

    Nice article.. Jazak Allah Khair

  • maryan Link Reply

    mashaa allah!!! this is very awakening and inspiring article may allah reward your efforts in producing such a high quality artcle, jazakkallahu kheyr

  • rokana Link Reply

    Jazak Allahu Khairan, I learned alot

  • Faatima Link Reply

    Jazaakumullaahu khair for all your tireless efforts in reminding or teaching people with the noble words of the Almighty, the All Knower and the sunnah of Rasuul sallallaahu alaihi wasallam. May Allah give all of you the good in this dunya and the good in the aakhira and to all muslims… aameen.

  • The unworthy Link Reply

    I must say that reading your articles never fail to fill my heart with awe at the knowledge that you are spreading to the muslim ummah. Thank you and may Allah bless you with more happiness in this life and the hereafter. Ameen.

    *Just a question – is there any word of advice on how to remain positive when we are always being surrounded by negativities, e.g. people who simply disregard Allah’s words and go against it with all their might even though they know the truth, and they often do and say things to fulfill their own nafs and sometimes even misuse the words of Allah in situations to suit their their own needs?

    Thank you.

    • Sameena Link Reply

      Assalamualaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu,
      True the environment around us can be very disturbing and discouraging for the faithful ones. But let us tell ourselves that these very ‘negativities’ are a test of our Eeman. (Remember everything happens with Allah’s Permission.) Our focus should be on our relationship with Allah and that should not depend on how people around us are. Remain positive by spreading the message of Islam wherever you can; by doing ‘Dhikr’ and praying for Allah’s Help to strengthen your Eeman and by telling yourself that you are not TOTALLY responsible for others. We sometimes make the mistake of inviting dejection and frustration by burdening ourselves with undue concern about how others are. A little detachment should help, for after all each person is accountable to Allah for himself / herself!

  • aisha Link Reply

    Jaza khallahu khairan and Allah Reward you for this very informative. Article that have touched heart. Well written,well read,well understood and In sha Allah will be applied in my day to day life amin ya rabbi.

  • ????????? ????? ????????????: ?????? ????????? ??????? ????????? ???????? ???????? ????????? ???????????
    Subhaanallaahi wa bihamdihi: ‘Adada khalqihi, wa ridhaa nafsihi, wa zinata ‘arshihi wa midaada kalimaatihi.
    Glory is to Allah and praise is to Him, by the multitude of His creation, by His Pleasure, by the weight of His Throne, and by the extent of His Words.

  • Abdul Quadri Link Reply

    MAY ALLAH REWARD YOU ABUNDANTLY AND ENRICH YOUR KNOWLEDGE.

  • Great article, thank you. A big reminder to myself no doubt.

  • EDGAR M LEONARD SR Link Reply

    This is a wonderful and truthful article.
    All praise, thanks, gratitude and abundance of blessings belong to Almighty God Allah.
    We must never be ungrateful to HIM or to our fellow man.
    Only HE knows all, sees all and hears all.
    PEACE.

  • Mujahed Link Reply

    Jazaak’Allah Khair ! One of the bets articles I have ever come across !

  • Thanks for the wonderful article and guidance towards thikir of ALLAHA (SW).

    MAY IQRASENSE TEAM AND INTIATORS PROPSEPER , FOR THEY HAVE CONTRIBUTED ALOT TO ISLAMIC TEACHING .

    AS TIME GOES IAM LEARNING MORE FROM THIS CHANNEL OF YOURS

  • Haruna Abdulkharim Link Reply

    Keep your tireless efforts,Almighty Allah shall reward you.Will never forget to share this with the family and friends.So wonderful,Reminder and more Knowledge will keep us on the straight path & close to Allah.

  • Anonymous Link Reply

    Jazaak’Allah Khair… Excellent article… values to teach our kids by our deeds…

  • Salih Link Reply

    Thanks for this as i have just gone through this, this weekend when my family and i had nothing and we sat down and THANKED Allah for all things and by the end of the weekend we had light and food in our house.

    Shukr

  • Afsana Begum Link Reply

    Assalamu-alai-kum, Very nice article… Thanks a lot for what we are having from ALLAH… May ALLAH Bless of us and get to know more good things.

  • Ajoeb Link Reply

    Asselamoe Alaikoem,

    Alhamdoe-liellaah. Jazak Allahu khayran. Great article. May ALLAH gave us all sabr and that we are always grateful for everything that we are acquiring from HIM. And be grateful to each other.

    Ajoeb

  • Amaan Link Reply

    Jazak Allahu khayran.
    May Allah bless everyone who praises and thanks him, with success in this life and the hereafter. Ameen

  • Zena Link Reply

    I am learning a lot from your articles. Thank you.
    May allah bless you and reward you with janatul firdaus. Ameen.

  • Kay Ahmed Link Reply

    Mashaa Allah- thank you so much for the articles, i look forward to read them. They are my life changers in many ways, i learn a lot by them. May Allah S W T bless you.
    JAZAKKALLAH KHER

  • Muhammad Jamil Khan Link Reply

    Asslamualikum,
    Trillions of thanks to ever-Kind and Merciful Creator for His countless bounties and ‘shukar’ is one of the greatest bounties and a lofty reward for those who utter it from heart and soul. Thank you so much for such an inspiring article and I pray to Almight Allah to bless every one with it, every time, me, you and all!
    Jamil

  • Aisha Shettima Link Reply

    Jazakallahu khair katheeran for another wonderful essay. May Allah SWA reward you beyond your efforts,accept your ibadah & make it solely for His Sake,Amin. May He also place us amongst the grateful ones. Bissalam.

  • ABDULHAMEED Link Reply

    Remembrance of Allah (SWT) will only be easy for people of understanding. May Allah (SWT) count us among the people of understanding. Jazhakum Lahum Khaerah

  • Thank you so much for another wonderful reminder….jazakallahu khairan!!!!

  • Abadeleseb Isaac Link Reply

    May Allah always bless and increase your strenght in enlightening us in this respect.jazak allahu khayran.

  • Chat Link Reply

    Jazak Allahu Khayran..I have always reminded my grandchildren to always thank those who have done them favours..now I learn the value of gratitude more broadly and clearly than ever before..
    My gratitude to all of you in Iqrasense.com..May Allah(SWT) bless you for your articles and deep insights and may your teachings reach not only to Muslims but to all the peoples around the world..
    Jazak Allahu Khayran!!!!

  • JazakAllah, Al-Hamdolillah: We should always thank Allah for whatever He has given to us. It proves that we should also thank the people. Some people although thank Allah, but do not thank people through whom some mercy has been awarded. I think it is lack of knowledge.

    I have noted from my past experience that I did not pay much attention on this issue. Now, I shall always thank Allah and the people for whatever good they have done to me.

    Regards:
    SHEIKH MUHAMMAD FAROOQ

  • huma Link Reply

    Sometimes I wonder if there is anything like thanking allah subhanu ta’al separately as if I am thanking for a service, the gratitude i think comes from very deep inside for the very opportunity to be born as a human being, this knowledge of what it means to be born a human being is not very clear to everyone even those who call themselves moslems, because thanking for what u receive is very different from thanking for ur very existence. Thanks for a thought provoking article.

  • Khalid Mahmood Link Reply

    Mashallah; you are selecting very much needed matters of our daily life. Very well explained and authenticated with Qur’an verses and Hadiths.
    God bless you and keep it up.
    Thanks very much for enlightening us.

  • Amina Alhassan Link Reply

    That was very enlightenning. May ALLAH bless you all for bringing us those articles. Pls send more.

  • Mariam Link Reply

    Thank you very much for this pleasant article.
    Alhamdulilahi Robil alamin.

    Which of Allah SWT favour can we deny?. Thanking Him from morning to night is not enough bcos He is good to us.

    to the article writers, I say a big thank you for educating us.
    Jazakallah khayran.

  • yasin Link Reply

    Jazzaka Allah kheyr. It is a wonderful inspirational piece of work. May Allah make us to follow practically

  • Sumaila Link Reply

    Very enlightening. May ALLAH (SWT) made us to be among those who are always gratefull to HIM, ameen! GOD bless us all, ameen!

  • Masha Allah! This is really an enlightment to all those faithful followers of Islam and all those whose Trust have been laid in Almighty Allah. I DUA;
    Please help us all to establish strongly in the 5 times basic prayer as stipulated in the sake of you Almighty Allah. Make our Faith & Trust stronger in you Almighty Allah and Believe In you Almighty Allah. And not to allow us to go astray, Guide us all to the righteous path, straightest path, Islamic path and succesful path. Be the Guide, Protector, Sustainer & Companion to us. Ameen!
    This is my offer of Gratitude at the end of the day for all what Almighty Allah has given me and my family.

  • Masha allah, u’hv posted a very good enghtnning authentic article
    may allah grant us all good sense…
    JAZAKALLAHU KHAIR

  • Fatuma Jillo Link Reply

    Mashallah I have learned and this article is very informative. We have to praise allah and follow the prophets saying. Keep up the good work by send us this good articles.

    Shukran

  • farha Link Reply

    SUBHAN ALLAH WAT A WONDERFUL ARTICLE. ITS TRULY A MASTERPIECE. I AM GRATEFUL TO ALLAH FOR BEING A MUSLIM ND GRATEFUL TO RASUL ALLAH FOR BEING HIS UMMAH ND LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST TO IQRASENSE FOR GIFTING ME WITH GREAT AHADITH AND ENABLING ME TO INCREASE MY WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE AND HENCE TO FOLLOW THE CORRECT PATH OF BEING A TRUE MUSLIM .
    THANX ONCE AGAIN

  • Ynus Fatimah Link Reply

    Alhamdulillah this site is really helping me a lots i am enjoying every bit of it…..may Allah accept our Ibadat and grants us ALJAANAH FIRDAUS..

  • jabeen Link Reply

    asak
    u bought excellent article at right time.we waste most of the time watching what others have,we never think what we have.gratitude brings peaceful life iin this world and here after also

  • adams suberu Link Reply

    thanks be to Almighty Allah that Iqrasense exists. We learn every day till we enter the grave. I have learnt a lot from this article. May Allah reward you for educating the entire muslim ummah

  • Sara Shaik Link Reply

    Most enlightening article on gatitude. We need to thank ALLAH for the air we breathe, for our healthy bodies and the sustenance we receive each day. Most of all we must thank ALLAH for the guidance he has provided for all of mankind. To show our gratitude we need to live our lives according to ALLAH’S laws ie in synchrony with the laws of nature. Jzklh and Shukran for an educational insight into gratitude. Keep up the good work and may you grow from strength to strength. Insha-allah!

  • Adam Suale Link Reply

    I am grateful to Almighty Allahu for giving me the time to go through this article. Its really a nice piece

  • Verily! To ALLAH ALONE Belongs all Praises and Thanks. From my personal experience,if you recite ALHAMDULILLAH in thousands or hundreds during tahajud period, you WILL SEE THE LOVE OF ALLAH manifest in your life and HIS Answers to your dua’i could be Kun Faya Kun if you keep doing it daily. May ALLAH SUBHANAHU WA TA’ALA these writers a nearness to HIS GLORIOUS SELF. ALLAHUMMA Amin.
    WAL HAMDULILLAHI RABBIL Aalamin.

  • Shamim Link Reply

    Very informative article. We should always be grateful to Allah under all circumstances. Alhamdolillah

  • Muhammad Zaki Link Reply

    Truly an amazing article. I’m thankful to the author for putting this up. In today’s world, gratefulness to Allah SWT is a highly neglected concept. May Allah bless you for your efforts.

    One should highlight that with gratitude to Allah SWT, the pursuit of happiness literally ends.

  • sayed reshma Link Reply

    Asallam ale qum,
    Really inspirational article mashaAllah, I will definitely share it on my pages of facebook.
    Jazakallahu khair.
    May Allah bless you and accept your all efforts in His cause, and give you the best reward for this, Ameen Ya Allah.
    And plz remember me in your dua.

  • NINI Link Reply

    Assalamu Alaikum,
    jazakumullahu khairan for this nice website. i really knew many things about shukr. i also had a research about shukr and when i found this website i was so happy.
    -thanks

  • mashallah…

    may allah bless you..there r new scientific evidences also which proves Allahs creation..and the concept of gratititude…pl update tat also..
    shukra allah

  • muslimah@makkah Link Reply

    very good article,Subhanallah and Jazakallah for your excellent work.it is said that -“Gratitude is the mother of all virtues ” and “Happiness is the best expression of gratitude”.So, a good Muslim ,who is grateful to Allah SWT would also be a wise and cheerful person whose attitude and countenance reflect gratitude to ALLAH.
    As always,let us begin at home…

  • mustapha Link Reply

    This is quite rejuvenating and reviving.

  • Alhamdulilahi Rabilalamin… Let’s be always grateful and thank to ALLAH! Amin.

  • Felicia Mohamed Link Reply

    Jazakalla khairan for the most informative and interesting article. May Allah bless the Iqrasense team. I will be circulating this to all in my mailing list.

  • Assalamu-Alaikum,
    Very informative. We cannot express shukar/gratitude as per revelation of Allah Taala. If all Seven skies/heavens plus further more convert in ink & all trees sharpend to Qalam or become pen even then shukar of Allah Taala cannot be completed.

  • Mariam Goodur Link Reply

    Jazak Allah, I thank you for having enlightened us on the importance of Gratitude through different Ahadic. I extend my gratitude to you for this noble action.

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