Blessing (niʿma) and affliction (baliyya). There is no fifth among these. In each of these four, Allah has a right over you by the ruling of His rubūbiyya (lordship), and you have the right of ʿubūdiyya (servitude) towards Him. In obedience, His right over you is that you witness the goodness that comes to you from Him. In the matter of māṣiyyat (sin), His right is that you perform tawba (repentance) for the sins you have committed. In the matter of affliction, His right is that you show sabr (patient endurance) in the face of calamities. In the matter of blessing, His right is that you show shukr (gratitude) for it. Understanding these lifts all these burdens from you. When you realize that obedience is directed towards you and necessitates mercy and goodness, you must show sabr while performing them. When you know that persisting in sin and committing sin requires punishment even in the dunyā (this world), and that it removes the light of iman (faith) in this world, this becomes a reason for you to abandon it. When you know that the fruit of sabr will return to you and its blessing will reach you, you hasten towards it and trust in it. As for shukr,
if you are grateful, I will surely increase you (Qur'an, 14:7), according to the verse, is an increase from Allah.