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Contentment: The Soul and the Mark of Tawhid.

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Abdur Rahman ibn Awf
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#1 [Permalink] Posted on 8th September 2021 15:48
As-Salaam alaikum,
In his booklet of spiritual discourses, the FUTUH AL-GHAYB (Openings of the Unseen), Sayyadi Abdulqadir al-Jilani, may Allah be Merciful to him, observed:--
''Three things are required of every believer in all circumstances: A command to be obeyed,
a prohibition to be avoided and a Divine Decree to be accepted with good cheer. In even the most
trivial circumstance, one of these 3 is bound to apply. The believer must, therefore, at all times, keep
his heart focused upon them, and physically carry out what they demand of him.''

This essentialises the true life of a Muslim who is actively seeking the Divine Presence: loving surrender to Allah Ta'ala through fulfilling the obligations (fara'id), shunning the forbidden (muharramat), and nurtturing an inward state of rida bi'l-qada (contentment with Divine Decree).
One's entire religious life revolves around these 3 pillars; therefore a seeker's life is about how best to root such pillars in one's life with an eye to actualising them inwardly, outwardly and in every circumstance. Indeed, fulfilling the obligations and shunning whatever is forbidden is the essence of TAQWA-- God-Consciousness and godliness.

In one hadith-qudsi, we learn that Allah Ta'ala said: ''MY SERVANT DOES NOT DRAW CLOSER TO ME WITH ANYTHING MORE BELOVED TO ME THAN THE OBLIGATIONS I HAVE ENJOINED UPON HIM..'' (Al-Bukhari, No. 6502)
Our outward state, therefore, must be one that is in conformity (muwafaqah) with what Allah Commands or Forbids, in respect to what we do with our eyes, ears, tongue, stomach, private parts, hands and feet. This requires knowing what is obligatory. Thus this basic knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim to know; no other learning ranks higher than it except, of course, for learning basic Tawhid and beliefs.

As for the inward virtue of contentment with Allah's Decree, (rida bi'l-qada), it is the key to living the religious life as Allah wants. Rida is a cosequence of Tawhid..... It is all about knowing that despite the onset of calamities, tragedies or personal loss, all is still in Allah's Hand; under His able control, unfolding accordint to His wisdom. As such, in the depth of our very being, even if saddened by grief or loss, we are at peace with Allah and do not resent His decree, but continue to do what is required. Ridaa is the heart's tranquility amidst tribulations. When a Muslim believer is blessed with inner contentment, life is soothed; anxieties are lifted, the heart is healed; and the soul is satisfied with what is and stops hankering after what isn't. The Noble Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, stated:--
"HE HAS TASTED THE SWEETNESS OF FAITH WHO IS CONTENT WITH ALLAH AS
LORD, ISLAM AS RELIGION AND WITH MUHAMMAD AS PROPHET.'' (Muslim, No. 34)
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