Contentment is Bliss

Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqaastraveled to Makkah after he had become blind. Upon
his arrival the people hastened to him and kept on asking him to make
supplication for them, and he did, as Allaah always accepted his
supplication. 'Abdullaah ibn As-Saa'ibsaid, "I came to him when I was
still a young boy and became acquainted with him, so he knew me and
said to me, 'Are you the one whorecites the Quran for the people of
Makkah?' I replied, 'Yes.' Then I asked him, 'You supplicate to Allaah
for all the people, so why do you not supplicate to Allaah for
yourself so thatHe would cure you?' He smiled, and said, 'O son! The
decree of Allaah is better for me than my sight.'"
This is the satisfaction that the Companionsadjusted themselves to,
and the decree of Allaah The Almighty became more beloved to them than
their desires, and sothey loved nothing more than what Allaah the
Almighty had decreed. 'Umar ibn 'Abd Al-'Azeezsaid, "I do not want
anything except what Allaah The Almighty decrees." What confirms the
importance of this satisfaction is that the Prophetwould ask Allaah
The Almighty to grant him satisfaction with His decree, and it is
well-known that the Prophetonly asked Allaah The Almighty for the
highest ranks. Satisfaction is sincerely giving precedence to all that
Allaah The Almighty has ordained, without being hesitant or objecting.
This is exactly what the righteous predecessors sought and strived
for. They were fully content in matters pertaining to their fate and
what Allaah The Almighty had inscribed in the Preserved Slate and
never desired anything contrary to what He had decreed for them.
However, as for matters of religion that pertain toHis orders or
prohibitions, one must always progress and aspire to what is better.
The righteous predecessorswould advise each other to be satisfied and
get used to it as they knew its high rank. 'Umar )Al-Faarooq(wrote to
Abu Moosa Al-Ash'arisaying, "All that is good lies in satisfaction. If
you are able to be satisfied, please do so, otherwise, be patient."
Luqmaanwould advise his son, saying, "I advise you to be endowed with
certaincharacteristics that would bring you closer toAllaah The
Almighty and would keep you away from His dissatisfaction: to worship
Allaah The Almighty Alone without associating any other deity with
Him, and to besatisfied with His decree in anything that you like or
dislike." The one who adjusts himself to this would lead a good life
as distress and worries would not reach his heart. Indeed, how could
that be when Allaah The Almighty has become pleased with him, and
hewith Allaah? Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}Whoever does
righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer - We
will surely cause him to live a good life,{]Quran 16:97[ Some of the
righteous predecessorsinterpreted "good life" asa life of satisfaction
and contentment.
Once, 'Umar ibn Al-Khattaabbecame angry with his wife 'Aatikahand said
to her, "By Allaah, I will upset you." She said, "Canyou drive me away
from Islam after Allaah The Almighty has guided me to it?" He replied,
"No." She then said, "Then howcan you upset me?" She meant by that
that she was satisfied with the decree of Allaah The Almighty, and
that nothing could have brought her distress except being driven away
from Islam, and there is no way 'Umarcould ever have done that.
There are three conditions for being trulysatisfied with Allaah The Almighty:
First: Being content at times of both blessings and afflictions alike,
as one believes that Allaah the Almighty chooses what is best for him.
This is what happened with some of the righteous predecessorsas they
were patient and satisfied when they wereafflicted with hardship. When
Sulaymaan ibn Al-Ghaaziwent to condole 'Umar ibn 'Abd Al-'Azeezupon
the death of his son, 'Abd Al-Malik, 'Umarsaid to him, "I seek
Allaah's refuge from wanting something that is contrary to what He
likes,as this does not change the affliction and His good treatment of
me." Itwas narrated on the authority of Ibraaheem An-Nakhaa'ithat
UmmAl-Aswad was paralyzed and her daughter grieved, so she told her
"Do not be sad. O Allaah, if this is something good then please
increase it."
Second: Abandoning disputes unless they are related to any of the
rights of Allaah The Almighty or His Prophet. Having conflict with
others for the sake of one's desires drives satisfaction away,
disturbs its purity and alters its sweetness.
Third: Refraining from continually asking of people. Allaah The
Almighty Says )what means(:}An ignorant]person[ would think them
self-sufficient because of their restraint, but you will know them by
their]characteristic[ sign. They do not ask people persistently ]or at
all[. And whatever you spend of good - indeed, Allah is Knowing of
it.{]Quran 2:273[
Regarding this trait, Thawbaannarrated that the Prophetsaid:"Who will
guarantee me this trait so that I will guarantee him
Paradise?"Thawbaan said, "I." The Prophetreplied:"Do not ask people
for anything."After that, he never askedanyone for anything, even if
his whip fell whileriding, he would get off and pick it up himself
without asking anyone to hand it to him.]Ahmad[
Satisfaction is the Peak ofFaith
Abu Ad-Dardaa'said, "There are four traits at the peak of faith:
patience, satisfaction with destiny, sincerity in reliance, and
submission to Allaah The Almighty." Ibn Al-Qayyimsaid: "Satisfaction
is one of thedeeds of the heart that is the equivalent of Jihaad,
which is one of the deedsof the limbs ]body[, for each one of them is
the peak of Faith."
Deprivation is in fact a Blessing from Allaah The Almighty
Sufyaan Ath-Thawrisaid that if Allaah The Almighty deprives His
servant of something, it is in fact a blessing; whenAllaah The
Almighty deprives His slave, it is not because He is miserly or unable
to give, but because He chooses whatis best for His believing slave,
and for a certain wisdom. Allaah The Almighty never decrees anything
bad for His believing slave, whether that decree brings happiness or
misery to the slave. Thus, even when Allaah The Almighty deprives His
believing slave, it is in fact a blessing, and the affliction is for
his well-being, even if it is inthe form of an affliction. Due to the
ignorance of the slave and his injustice, he considers that bliss is
the only thingto give him pleasure in the worldly life. If man was
truly knowledgeable, he would have considered all that Allaah The
Almighty decreed as a blessing. This was the state of the righteous
predecessors. The slave will never find the sweetness of faith
exceptthrough this. The Prophetsaid:"Whoever is content with Allaah as
a God, Islam as a religion and Muhammad as a messenger, has certainly
felt the sweetness of faith."
O Allaah! Make us satisfied with Your decree and bless our destiny so
that we would not wish to hasten something that You have delayed or
delay something that You have hastened.