Definition of Riḍā
The scholars have provided numerous definitions of riḍā (contentment with God's decree). Each spoke according to their own disposition and spiritual station (maqām). The most significant is the definition found in Seyyid Jurjānī’s (may Allah have mercy on him) work "Taʿrīfāt": "Riḍā is the qalb (the heart) being delighted by the pain of divine decree (qaḍāʾ)."[1]
Ibn ʿAjība (may Allah have mercy on him) defines it as: "Riḍā is to meet dangerous situations with a cheerful face, for the qalb to find joy when the divine decree (what Allah has ordained) arrives, to abandon one’s own choice (ikhtiyār) in what the Exalted Allah does, or for the qalb to be gladdened by not rejecting what comes from al-Wāḥid al-Qahhār (the One, the Subduer)."[2]
Allāma Birgivī (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Riḍā is the nafs (the lower self) being pleased with both what befalls and what is missed."[3]
Ibn ʿAṭāʾullāh al-Iskandarī (may Allah have mercy on him) expresses: "Riḍā is for the qalb to look upon what the Exalted Allah has chosen for the servant from pre-eternity and to abandon resentment."[4]
Muḥāsibī (may Allah have mercy on him)
said: "Riḍā is the tranquility of the qalb in the face of divine rulings."[5]
Riḍā is a spiritual station (maqām) of the qalb. When the believer attains it, he is able to face the calamities of time, the hardships of life, and various disasters with firm iman (faith), a contented nafs, and a tranquil qalb. Indeed, he ascends even higher. When confronted with the pain of divine decree, he feels relief and joy. This is the result of the realization of riḍā in the maʿrifa (experiential knowledge) of the Exalted Allah and of a sincere love (contentment) for Him.
A. The Virtue of Riḍā: Riḍā, in terms of station and rank, is higher than sabr (patient endurance). For it is a spiritual surrender that leads the gnostic (ʿārif) to the love of the Exalted Allah, Who is pleased with His servant. Thus, the ʿārif sees the matters and calamities decreed in life as mercy and goodness, and contemplates them with the eye of virtue, riḍā, and blessing.
Bilāl (may Allah be pleased with him), while writhing in the agony of death, said: "Ah, what joy! Tomorrow I will meet my friends—Muḥammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions (ṣaḥāba)!"[6]
The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) declared: "Whoever is content with the decree of the Exalted Allah is the richest of people." For he is the greatest among people in terms of joy and tranquility. He is the farthest from anxiety, sorrow, anger, and agitation. For true wealth is not in abundance of possessions, but in a qalb that is faithful and content. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Refrain from the unlawful and you will be the most devout of people; be content with what Allah has apportioned for you and you will be the richest of people; show kindness to your neighbor and you will be a believer; desire for others what you desire for yourself and you will be a Muslim. Do not laugh excessively, for excessive laughter kills the qalb."[7]
The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) explained that just as anger is a cause of misery in this world and the next, so too is riḍā a great cause of happiness in both worlds: "It is among the happiness of the son of Adam
that he is content
with the decree
that Allah
has ordained
for him. And it is among his wretchedness that he abandons seeking Allah’s hudā (guidance) or is displeased with the decree Allah has ordained for him."[8]
Indeed, the blessing of riḍā is among the causes of tranquility that envelop the hearts of the gnostics. For riḍā is the strongest means of attaining the fortunes and delights of life and of erasing the tendencies toward despair that arise in thought. Inclining toward despair brings anxiety and distress to its possessor.
Indeed, the path followed by the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) was to teach his Companions (ṣaḥāba) to be content with Allah as Lord, Islam as religion, and Muḥammad (peace be upon him) as Prophet and Messenger, and to instill this in their hearts. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) invited them to repeat this phrase, saying: "Whoever, upon rising in the morning and in the evening, says, 'I am content with Allah as Lord, with Islam as religion, and with Muḥammad (peace be upon him) as Messenger,' it is a right upon Allah to make that person content."[9] They would eagerly continue to repeat this morning and evening, expressing in this way the hidden contentment in their hearts for the blessing of being pleased with Allah and submitting to Him.
There are many who utter these words without their qalb being tranquil, without tasting the sweetness of lofty meanings, or realizing their higher aims. Especially when calamities and adversities befall them, when the darkness of worries and sorrows gathers in their qalb, or when they are called to a ruling of the sharia (the sacred law) that does not accord with their desires or personal interests, and yet they do not comply, though they utter these words.
Thus, we see those who recite these words with their tongues. But when these words do not come from the qalb, they do not benefit the speaker. For to know Allah and be content with Him as Lord is only achieved by firmly adhering to His commands and prohibitions. To be content with all of Allah’s actions (wills), prohibitions, decrees, harms and benefits, unions and separations among creation is necessary.
To be content with Islam as religion requires firmly adhering to its commands and avoiding its prohibitions, even if this opposes one’s nafs, desires, or personal interests.
To be content with the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) as Prophet and Messenger requires taking his noble and lofty character as an example, following his hudā (guidance), emulating his traces, adorning oneself with his sunnah, and following what he brought. One must struggle against one’s own desires until the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) becomes more beloved than one’s mother, father, children, nafs, and all people. As the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his father, his children, and all people."[10]
ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him) said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "By Allah, you are more beloved to me than everything except my own nafs." The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "Not yet! By Him in Whose hand is my soul, you will not have complete iman until I am more beloved to you than your own nafs." Then ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Now, by Allah, you are more beloved to me than my own nafs." The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Now it is complete, O ʿUmar!"[11]
Whoever adorns himself with contentment with Allah as Lord, Islam as religion, and Muḥammad (peace and blessings be upon him) as Prophet and Messenger, tastes the sweetness of iman, finds the delight of certain faith, and attains eternal happiness. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever is content with Allah as Lord, Islam as religion, and Muḥammad (peace and blessings be upon him) as Prophet, will taste the sweetness of iman."[12]
Thus, whoever is deprived of the delight of iman, the blessing and happiness of riḍā, will be wracked with anxiety, agitation, anger, and torment. Especially when calamity strikes, when disasters descend, when life darkens before his eyes, when the world appears oppressive, and when, though the earth is vast, it feels constricted—at that moment, Satan comes to whisper that the only escape from these troubles and anxieties is suicide. We hear how suicides have increased and reached dangerous proportions, especially in disbelieving, kufr (disbelief) lands, in societies cut off from the protection of Islam, where the light of iman has been extinguished, and people have left the religion. The Exalted Allah targets them with His words in al-Ṭāhā 20:124:
"But whoever turns away from My dhikr (remembrance), indeed, he will have a depressed life, and We will gather him on the Day of Resurrection blind."
B. Correction of Misconceptions Regarding Riḍā
Here, there are doubts raised by some ignorant people regarding riḍā. The reason for these is their inability to taste this lofty maqām and their ignorance.
For
man
is an enemy to what he does not know. The real cause of these doubts is that they see some people among the false claimants of Sufism (taṣawwuf), take their corrupt states and deviant ideas as evidence against Sufism, without distinguishing between the Saʿādat al-Ṣūfiyya who grasp the reality of iman, Islam, and ihsan (spiritual excellence), and the false claimants of Sufism. O reader, some of these doubtful matters and their refutations will be presented below.
First: Some groups deny the very essence of riḍā, saying that it is impossible to conceive of riḍā by opposing one’s desires (hawā); only sabr can be conceived. Does a person not feel and understand the pain of calamities and the harshness of adversities?
In response: The one who is content, by his nature, feels the pain of calamities and disasters. However, due to his intellect and iman, he is content with them, trusting that by being patient in the face of calamities, he will attain great rewards. He neither objects to nor is distressed by the calamities and disasters that befall him. Abū ʿAlī al-Daqqāq (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Not feeling the pain of calamity is not riḍā! Rather, riḍā is not objecting to divine rulings and decrees."[13]
The example is like that of a patient: The patient feels the pain of the injection and the bitterness of the medicine for the sake of healing. Yet, knowing it brings cure, he is content with it. He even thanks the one who administers the injection or gives the medicine, even if its taste is bitter or its smell unpleasant.
ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "In every calamity that befalls me, Allah has granted me four blessings: the calamity is not related to my religion, I have not been deprived of riḍā, it is not a greater calamity, and I hope for reward at its end."[14]
On the other hand, the one who is content naturally feels the pain of calamities. Nevertheless, he turns to his belief in the grace and wisdom of the Exalted Allah and is content with the calamities. He knows that behind the actions of the Exalted Allah are hidden ḥikmas (wisdoms) and subtle graces, and he is content. As the Exalted Allah says in al-Nisāʾ 4:19:
"It may be that you dislike a thing and Allah makes therein much good for you." Thus, his sorrow melts away, disappears, and his astonishment vanishes. He knows that his astonishment is like that of Mūsā (peace be upon him) with Khiḍr (peace be upon him). Just as Khiḍr explained the wisdoms behind scuttling the orphans’ boat, killing a child, and repairing a wall that was about to collapse, Mūsā’s astonishment was dispelled. For his astonishment was due to the hidden wisdoms. Such are the actions of the Exalted Allah.
From another perspective: There is a believer whose qalb has been cultivated by the mercy of the Exalted Allah, so he does not feel the harshness and pain of calamities. As a poem says:
"The wound that pleases you does not hurt,
None but those who taste love can feel it,
Only those who endure and bear love know it,
Only those who suffer its pangs know ecstasy."
Thus, those who have not attained love deny it. (This is the meaning of the poem).
ʿĀmir b. Qays (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "My deep love for the Exalted Allah has made every calamity easy for me. It has made me content with every kind of affliction. After loving Him, I do not care how I spend my mornings or evenings."
Second: Some groups hastily judge: "Riḍā leads the believer to accept the actions of the wicked and to approve of the deeds of the rebellious. This, in turn, leads to abandoning the enjoining of good and forbidding of evil (amr bi-l-maʿrūf wa-nahy ʿan al-munkar)."
In response: This is a clear error and great ignorance. Can a believer ever intend or accept the destruction of any ruling of his Lord or a pillar of the religion? Is he not the one who enjoins good and forbids evil? Indeed, the Exalted Allah is only pleased with those who establish His religion with knowledge and follow His sharia.
Is it conceivable that a believer would be content with the actions of a disbeliever when Allah is not? The Exalted Allah says in al-Zumar 39:7:
"But He does not approve for His servants kufr (disbelief)."
In reality, there is no contradiction between the riḍā of the Exalted Allah and rejecting evil. For the believer is content with the actions of the Exalted Allah. Since those actions proceed from the Wise and All-Knowing, the believer must be pleased with them in every circumstance. For they occur by Allah’s will and decree. The believer is not content with the actions of the rebellious, for those actions are their own attributes and acquisitions, and their actions indicate that the Exalted Allah abhors them.
Third: Some people err in thinking that, because of their contentment with Allah, they should abandon supplication (dua) and entreaty, neglect the means of attracting good and repelling harm, and refrain from using medicine for illness.
In response: This understanding is incorrect. For in reality, attaining the riḍā of the Exalted Allah is achieved by performing deeds that lead to His pleasure and by avoiding all things contrary to His commands and pleasure.
Attaining the riḍā of the Exalted Allah is achieved by responding to all His commands and by seeking His response to our duas. The Exalted Allah says in al-Ghāfir 40:60:
"Call upon Me; I will respond to you." For dua is the marrow of worship. It purifies the qalb, produces humility and tenderness. Tenderness prepares the qalb to receive the lights of grace.
Moreover, abandoning the means is to oppose Allah’s commands and contradict His riḍā. The Exalted Allah commands action, as in al-Tawba 9:105:
"Say, 'Do [as you will], for Allah will see your deeds, and [so will] His Messenger and the believers.'" He called for striving to seek provision, as in al-Mulk 67:15:
"It is He who made the earth tame for you—so walk among its slopes and eat of His provision—and to Him is the resurrection."
For a thirsty person not to reach for water, or to refuse to drink because thirst is Allah’s decree, is not riḍā. Rather, quenching thirst with water is itself Allah’s will, command, and decree.
anhu ) When, out of fear of the plague, the Muslims wished to prevent their soldiers from entering Damascus, our Master ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him), Abū ʿUbayda b. al-Jarrāḥ (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: "Do you flee from the decree of Allah?" Our Master ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: "O ʿUbayda! If only someone other than you had said this! We flee from the decree of Allah to the decree of Allah."[15]
Contentment with divine decrees does not require transgressing the limits of the sharia. Rather, the meaning of being content with the decree of the Exalted Allah is to abandon objection to Him both outwardly and inwardly, while striving with all one’s might to attain what Allah wills and is pleased with. This is achieved by adhering to His commands and avoiding His prohibitions.
In conclusion, there are many statements and discourses from the great caliphs of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), his noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), the successors (tābiʿīn), and the righteous, which indicate the realization of very high degrees of riḍā. To continue listing them would be exhausting. Some of them:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when stoned at Ṭāʾif and his blessed heel was wounded, turned to the Exalted Allah and said: "If You are not angry with me, I do not care!"
The noble Companions (ṣaḥāba), when subjected to various torments and persecutions in Mecca, faced all these situations with contented qalbs, smiling faces, and tongues engaged in dhikr (remembrance of God).
It is narrated that in a single night, ʿUrwa b. al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them) lost both his leg and his most beloved son. When his friends came to console him, he said: "O Allah! Praise is due to You. I had seven sons; You took one and left me six. I had two hands and two legs; You took one leg and left me one leg and two hands. Surely, You gave, and You took. If You afflicted me with calamity, You also granted me well-being."
ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "I have no joy left except in the domain of destiny." When asked, "What do you desire?" he replied, "Whatever the Exalted Allah has decreed and ordained, that is what I desire."
Know well that if a servant is content with all the rulings and actions of his Lord, the Exalted Allah will also be content with him. Then, as the Exalted Allah indicates in al-Bayyina 98:8:
"Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him." Thus, riḍā is mutual.
The Saʿādat al-Ṣūfiyya have grasped the secret of the mutual bond and inseparability of the two sides in riḍā. Sufyān al-Thawrī was once with Rābiʿa al-ʿAdawiyya. Sufyān said: "O Allah, be pleased with me!" Rābiʿa replied: "Are you not ashamed to ask Allah for riḍā when you yourself are not content with Him?" Sufyān said: "Astaghfirullah (I seek forgiveness from Allah)."[16]
The Exalted Allah’s being pleased with His servant is the highest station, the loftiest rank, and the greatest gift. The Exalted Allah says in al-Tawba 9:72:
"And [there are] pleasant dwellings in gardens of perpetual residence; but approval from Allah is greater. It is that which is the great attainment." The pleasure of the Owner of Paradise is greater than Paradise itself. This is the ultimate goal and aspiration of the inhabitants of Paradise. As the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"Indeed, Allah will say to the people of Paradise: 'O people of Paradise!'
The people of Paradise will say: 'O our Lord, we are at Your service.'
Our Lord will say: 'Are you pleased?'
They will say: 'Why should we not be pleased, when You have given us what You have not given to anyone among Your creation?' Our Lord will say: 'I will give you something even greater.'
They will say: 'O our Lord, what could be greater than this?'
Our Lord will say: 'I make My pleasure lawful for you; I will never be angry with you after this.'"[17]
Notes
- Taʿrīfāt of Seyyid, p. 57.
- Miʿrāj al-Tashawwuf, p. 8.
- Sharḥ Ṭarīqat al-Muḥammadiyya li-l-Nāblusī, vol. 2, p. 105.
- Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 89.
- Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 89.
- Ahmad Zaynī Daḥlān, Sīrat al-Nabawiyya, p. 242.
- Tirmidhī, Kitāb al-Zuhd, narrated from Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), and he said the ḥadīth is gharīb.
- Tirmidhī, Kitāb al-Qadar, narrated from Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ (may Allah be pleased with him), and he said the ḥadīth is gharīb.
- Abū Dāwūd, Bāb Mā Yaqūlu Idhā Aṣbaḥa, from Anas b. Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him), also narrated in Tirmidhī, Kitāb al-Daʿwāt.
- Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ, Kitāb al-Īmān, Bāb Ḥubb al-Rasūl min al-Īmān, narrated from Abū Hurayra and Anas (may Allah be pleased with them).
- Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ, Kitāb al-Aymān wa-l-Nudhūr, Bāb Kayfa Kānat Yamīn al-Nabī (peace and blessings be upon him), vol. 8, p. 160, and Ahmad, Musnad, vol. 4, p. 233.
- Muslim and Tirmidhī, Kitāb al-Īmān, narrated from ʿAbbās b. ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib (may Allah be pleased with him).
- Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 89.
- Sharḥ Ṭarīqat al-Muḥammadiyya, vol. 2, p. 105.
- Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ, Kitāb al-Ṭibb, Bāb Mā Yudhkar fī al-Ṭāʿūn, narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them), and Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ, Kitāb al-Salām, Bāb al-Ṭāʿūn.
- Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn, vol. 4, p. 336.
- Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ, Kitāb al-Riqāq, Bāb Ṣifat al-Jannah, narrated from Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī (may Allah be pleased with him).
- Taʿrīfāt of Seyyid Sharīf, p. 48.
- Miʿrāj al-Tashawwuf, p. 8.
- Allāma Muḥammad b. ʿAllān al-Ṣiddīqī, Dalīl al-Fāliḥīn li-Ṭuruq Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn, vol. 2, p. 2.
- Ṭarīq ilā Allāh by Abū Saʿīd al-Ḥarrāz, p. 56.
- Tirmidhī, Kitāb Ṣifat al-Qiyāmah, said the ḥadīth is gharīb.