Gratitude (Shukr) as a Factor of Social Stability: A Socio-Philosophical Analysis

The article offers a socio-philosophical analysis of gratitude (shukr) as elaborated in the Sufi tradition of Central Asia and examines its function as a factor of social stability. Shukr is shown to be not a mere feeling of thankfulness but a structured worldview position uniting contentment (qanoat), patience (sabr), satisfaction with one's destiny (rizo), generosity (ehson) and trust in the Creator (tavakkul). On the basis of the classical works of al-Hakim at-Tirmidhi and Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, its three-level structure - of the tongue, of the heart and of the limbs - is interpreted as a mechanism translating individual moral experience into social behaviour. A community in which the culture of gratitude is widespread displays higher interpersonal trust and resistance to destructive ideologies, whereas ingratitude (kufron an-ni'ma) breeds discontent and disintegration. The model “gratitude - unity - connection – advancement” is proposed as an instrument of spiritual and educational policy.