A village in Dinajpur. Time to plant the Aman rice, but not a cloud in the sky. The fields were cracked. The farmer Motaleb Ali looked up at the sky each morning, then went to the mosque to pray.
One day the villagers gathered to pray for rain. A few days later, one afternoon, the sky darkened and rain came pouring down.
Everyone ran to the fields in joy. Motaleb Ali first stood and raised his hands to the sky: 'Alhamdulillah.' His son asked: 'Abba, won't you go to the field first?' He said: 'First I thank the One who gave it. Then the work.'
That year his harvest was bigger than any other year. After the harvest he gave the first sack to the poor of the village — gratitude not only in words, but in deeds.
وَإِذۡ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمۡ لَئِن شَكَرۡتُمۡ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمۡۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرۡتُمۡ إِنَّ عَذَابِي لَشَدِيدٞ
“And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.'"”
Surah Ibrahim 14:7
Translation: Saheeh International (QuranEnc)