Living the Quran, Luman, Chapter 31: Verse 32,

Honourable Nature

"Whenever the waves, like giant shadows, engulf them, they pray to God in all sincerity and devotion. But no sooner does He bring them safe to land, some of them hold back their belief. None will deny our revelations except the treacherous and the ungrateful."
Human beings are overwhelmed by God's grace and generosity. We live off the earth He has created; we breathe the air He has made available; we eat the nutritious food He has provided. Many, of course, forget all this and behave towards God as if He does not exist at all. Nevertheless, these very people would run to God in times of hardship, but as soon as they are out of danger, they revert to their disgraceful attitudes.
Gratitude is a sign of common sense and an honourable nature. When God praised Noah, He described him as "a thankful servant" (al-Isra: 3), and He praised Abraham as "grateful for his Lord's favours." (al-Naml: 121).
When Prophet Muhammad was asked why he devoted so much time to prayer and dedication to God, he replied: "Should I not be grateful servant of my Lord?" We must be made aware of these facts and exhorted not to abuse the favours God has bestowed upon us.

Source:
"Thematic Commentary on The Quran" - Muhammad Al-Ghazali, pp. 504, 505

Living the Quran, Al-Naziat (The Setting Stars), Chapter 79: Verses 40-41

True Remembrance

"But unto him who shall have stood in fear of his Lord's presence, and held back his inner self from base desires, paradise will truly be the goal."
How numerous the tongues that move with the name of Allah! But how meagre the benefit! An how rare the hearts that become genuinely humble at the mention of Allah! Yet how desperate the need of the world for those rare hearts!
Undoubtedly, the ruin of religion comes about when it digresses into empty words and forms. And the mission of religion will not have been accomplished until the day it creates in all men living conscience, pure mind and hearts that aim in awe at countenancing the divine. That is what true dhikr is!
Accounted among the influences of this kind of dhikr is that it curbs man's appetite for wealth. Thus, those who remember Allah are never obsessed by greed for more and more, and are certainly never demeaned by greedy or covetous constitutions. Rather, they earn their money honorably, and spend it on their legitimate needs without ever thinking to hoard or accumulate it.

Source:
"Remembrance And Prayer" - Muhammad Al-Ghazali, p. 159