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'ib, may Allaah be pleased with him, said, "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 who recites 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 that He 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 Companions, may Allaah be pleased
with them, adjusted themselves to, and the decree of Allaah The
Almighty became more beloved to them than their desires, and so they
loved nothing more than what Allaah the Almighty had decreed. 'Umar
ibn 'Abd Al-'Azeez, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said, "I do not
want anything except what Allaah The Almighty decrees." What confirms
the importance of this satisfaction is that the Prophet, sallallaahu
'alayhi wa sallam, would ask Allaah The Almighty to grant him
satisfaction with His decree, and it is well-known that the Prophet,
sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, only 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 to His orders or
prohibitions, one must always progress and aspire to what is better.
The righteous predecessors, may Allaah be pleased with them, would
advise each other to be satisfied and get used to it as they knew its
high rank. 'Umar )Al-Faarooq(, may Allaah be pleased with him, wrote
to Abu Moosa Al-Ash'ari, may Allaah be pleased with him, saying, "All
that is good lies in satisfaction. If you are able to be satisfied,
please do so, otherwise, be patient." Luqmaan, may Allaah exalt his
mention, would advise his son, saying, "I advise you to be endowed
with certain characteristics that would bring you closer to Allaah 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 be satisfied 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 he
with 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 predecessors, may Allaah have mercy upon them, interpreted
"good life" as a life of satisfaction and contentment.
Once, 'Umar ibn Al-Khattaab, may Allaah be pleased with him, became
angry with his wife 'Aatikah, may Allaah be pleased with her, and said
to her, "By Allaah, I will upset you." She said, "Can you drive me
away from Islam after Allaah The Almighty has guided me to it?" He
replied, "No." She then said, "Then how can 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 'Umar, may Allaah be pleased with
him, could ever have done that.
There are three conditions for being truly satisfied 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 predecessors, may
Allaah have mercy upon them, as they were patient and satisfied when
they were afflicted with hardship. When Sulaymaan ibn Al-Ghaazi, may
Allaah have mercy upon him, went to condole 'Umar ibn 'Abd Al-'Azeez,
may Allaah have mercy upon him, upon the death of his son, 'Abd
Al-Malik, 'Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, said 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." It was narrated on the authority of Ibraaheem An-Nakhaa'i, may
Allaah have mercy upon him, that Umm Al-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, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam. 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, Thawbaan, may Allaah be pleased with him,
narrated that the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said:"Who
will guarantee me this trait so that I will guarantee him
Paradise?"Thawbaan said, "I." The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam, replied:"Do not ask people for anything."After that, he never
asked anyone for anything, even if his whip fell while riding, he
would get off and pick it up himself without asking anyone to hand it
to him. ]Ahmad[
Satisfaction is the Peak of Faith
Abu Ad-Dardaa', may Allaah be pleased with him, 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-Qayyim, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said: "Satisfaction is one
of the deeds of the heart that is the equivalent of Jihaad, which is
one of the deeds of 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-Thawri, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said that if
Allaah The Almighty deprives His servant of something, it is in fact a
blessing; when Allaah The Almighty deprives His slave, it is not
because He is miserly or unable to give, but because He chooses what
is 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 in
the form of an affliction. Due to the ignorance of the slave and his
injustice, he considers that bliss is the only thing to 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, may Allaah have
mercy upon them. The slave will never find the sweetness of faith
except through this. The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam,
said:"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.
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