Contentment and gratitude in Islam (Abdullah Cheng)
Dear brothers and sisters,
Allah (SWT) reminds us in the Qur’an:
ٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّمَا ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌۭ وَلَهْوٌۭ وَزِينَةٌۭ وَتَفَاخُرٌۢ بَيْنَكُمْ وَتَكَاثُرٌۭ فِى ٱلْأَمْوَٰلِ وَٱلْأَوْلَـٰدِ
Know, that this worldly life is no more than play, amusement, luxury, mutual boasting, and competition in wealth and children. [57:20]
That is what life is all about for us humans. Human desires do not have an end, and nothing in this Dunya can be offered to us to completely satisfy what we want. In today’s day and age, we find that the materialistic quality of life is getting better and better, the transportation is becoming more convenient, our beds are more comfortable, food is becoming more delicious, there are more options for entertainment, but despite all of these advancements, did humans really feel happier and more satisfied than people from hundreds of years ago?
In fact, nowadays it becomes harder and harder for us to differentiate what we want and what we actually need. We start making things that we want into things that we need, and we start making things that we need into things that are optional.
The Prophet (SAW) said: “Whoever among you wakes up physically healthy, feeling safe and secure within himself, with food for the day, it is as if he acquired the whole world.” (Sunan Ibn Majah 4141)
And this is the condition that Alhamdulillah most of us, at least in Taiwan, have every day. If we are able to sleep properly, we have a roof on top of us, we don’t have any serious illness, we don’t have to worry about food, then what more can we ask of? For many people on the other side of the world, this is a level of luxury they can only imagine.
We should always look at those who stand lower than us in this Dunya, and look at those above us in the Deen. When we compare ourselves with people lower than us in this Dunya, we can better appreciate the blessings of Allah, and when we look at people above us in the religion, we can better understand what is missing in our Iman.
Allah (SWT) says in the Qur’an:
نَحْنُ قَسَمْنَا بَيْنَهُم مَّعِيشَتَهُمْ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۚ وَرَفَعْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍۢ دَرَجَـٰتٍۢ لِّيَتَّخِذَ بَعْضُهُم بَعْضًۭا سُخْرِيًّۭا
Allah Himself has distributed the livelihood (salary, wealth, property) for us in this worldly life, and He has provided people with different levels of wealth, some are higher in rank and some are lower, so that they may benefit each other, by providing things that others don’t have. [43:32]
We don’t get to decide how much provision is given to us, Allah is the One who ultimately decides what we get and what we don’t get, and that has already been decided even before we were born.
Our Prophet (SAW) also told us, that even before a child is born, the angel already writes down 4 things about the child: his deeds, his Rizq, the time of his death, and whether he is successful or unsuccessful in the religion.
Allah is the One who truly understands what is good for us and what is bad for us, and as Muslims, we need to believe in good in Allah that all of His decisions are beneficial for us, and His decisions are the best decisions.
Our Prophet (SAW) said: “Wealth is not in having many possessions, but rather (true) wealth is feeling sufficiency in the soul.” (Sahih Bukhari 6446)
This is what رضى (being content) means. رضى is to submit to the decision of Allah, to accept the Qadr of Allah, although not knowing what is the plan of Allah. The real contentment is to accept whatever we have right now, but at the same time try to look for a better future.
Islam is not telling us to remain satisfied with the status quo and not make any changes to improve our lives. Islam also doesn’t tell us to not have any desire at all. In today’s world, we have two extremes: on one side, there are people who tell you to do whatever you want to do, just follow yourself and don’t listen to what others are saying, and on the other side, there are people who tell you to completely ignore your desires.
In Islam, it is permissible to work harder to gain more money, it is permissible to increase our quality of life, it is permissible to desire things that are pure and Halal, as long as it doesn’t become our priority and interfere with our obligations, such as prayer, and that our Iman is there to remind us to be content if we don’t get what we want at the end. If we have the intention of looking for a better job, and we worked hard for it, but in the end, we did not get the opportunity, then we should accept and be content with the result, and Insha Allah try to do even better next time.
Lastly, there is a Du’a that our Prophet (SAW) has taught us to say in the morning and evening:
رَضِيتُ باللهِ رَبَّاً، وَبِالْإِسْلَامِ دِيناً، وَبِمُحَمَّدٍ صَلَى اللهُ عَلِيهِ وَسَلَّمَ نَبِيَّاً
I am content with Allah as my Lord, with Islam as my religion and with Muhammad (SallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam) as my Prophet.
To be content with Allah as our Lord means that we accept whatever provision Allah has decreed for us, and whatever situation in life that He has chosen for us.
To be content with Islam as our religion means we accept whatever obligation and prohibition there is in this religion, regardless of our own desires.
To be content with the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as our Prophet means we fully accept his way of life, whatever decision he took, whatever he has said in his life.
According to the Hadith, anyone who says this Du’a 3 times in the morning and the evening will have a promise from Allah to make him pleased on the Day of Judgement.
May Allah grant us contentment and gratitude for what He has provided for us, may Allah be pleased with us on the Day of Judgement, and may Allah give us the best in this world and the Hereafter.
Allah (SWT) reminds us in the Qur’an:
ٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّمَا ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌۭ وَلَهْوٌۭ وَزِينَةٌۭ وَتَفَاخُرٌۢ بَيْنَكُمْ وَتَكَاثُرٌۭ فِى ٱلْأَمْوَٰلِ وَٱلْأَوْلَـٰدِ
Know, that this worldly life is no more than play, amusement, luxury, mutual boasting, and competition in wealth and children. [57:20]
That is what life is all about for us humans. Human desires do not have an end, and nothing in this Dunya can be offered to us to completely satisfy what we want. In today’s day and age, we find that the materialistic quality of life is getting better and better, the transportation is becoming more convenient, our beds are more comfortable, food is becoming more delicious, there are more options for entertainment, but despite all of these advancements, did humans really feel happier and more satisfied than people from hundreds of years ago?
In fact, nowadays it becomes harder and harder for us to differentiate what we want and what we actually need. We start making things that we want into things that we need, and we start making things that we need into things that are optional.
The Prophet (SAW) said: “Whoever among you wakes up physically healthy, feeling safe and secure within himself, with food for the day, it is as if he acquired the whole world.” (Sunan Ibn Majah 4141)
And this is the condition that Alhamdulillah most of us, at least in Taiwan, have every day. If we are able to sleep properly, we have a roof on top of us, we don’t have any serious illness, we don’t have to worry about food, then what more can we ask of? For many people on the other side of the world, this is a level of luxury they can only imagine.
We should always look at those who stand lower than us in this Dunya, and look at those above us in the Deen. When we compare ourselves with people lower than us in this Dunya, we can better appreciate the blessings of Allah, and when we look at people above us in the religion, we can better understand what is missing in our Iman.
Allah (SWT) says in the Qur’an:
نَحْنُ قَسَمْنَا بَيْنَهُم مَّعِيشَتَهُمْ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۚ وَرَفَعْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍۢ دَرَجَـٰتٍۢ لِّيَتَّخِذَ بَعْضُهُم بَعْضًۭا سُخْرِيًّۭا
Allah Himself has distributed the livelihood (salary, wealth, property) for us in this worldly life, and He has provided people with different levels of wealth, some are higher in rank and some are lower, so that they may benefit each other, by providing things that others don’t have. [43:32]
We don’t get to decide how much provision is given to us, Allah is the One who ultimately decides what we get and what we don’t get, and that has already been decided even before we were born.
Our Prophet (SAW) also told us, that even before a child is born, the angel already writes down 4 things about the child: his deeds, his Rizq, the time of his death, and whether he is successful or unsuccessful in the religion.
Allah is the One who truly understands what is good for us and what is bad for us, and as Muslims, we need to believe in good in Allah that all of His decisions are beneficial for us, and His decisions are the best decisions.
Our Prophet (SAW) said: “Wealth is not in having many possessions, but rather (true) wealth is feeling sufficiency in the soul.” (Sahih Bukhari 6446)
This is what رضى (being content) means. رضى is to submit to the decision of Allah, to accept the Qadr of Allah, although not knowing what is the plan of Allah. The real contentment is to accept whatever we have right now, but at the same time try to look for a better future.
Islam is not telling us to remain satisfied with the status quo and not make any changes to improve our lives. Islam also doesn’t tell us to not have any desire at all. In today’s world, we have two extremes: on one side, there are people who tell you to do whatever you want to do, just follow yourself and don’t listen to what others are saying, and on the other side, there are people who tell you to completely ignore your desires.
In Islam, it is permissible to work harder to gain more money, it is permissible to increase our quality of life, it is permissible to desire things that are pure and Halal, as long as it doesn’t become our priority and interfere with our obligations, such as prayer, and that our Iman is there to remind us to be content if we don’t get what we want at the end. If we have the intention of looking for a better job, and we worked hard for it, but in the end, we did not get the opportunity, then we should accept and be content with the result, and Insha Allah try to do even better next time.
Lastly, there is a Du’a that our Prophet (SAW) has taught us to say in the morning and evening:
رَضِيتُ باللهِ رَبَّاً، وَبِالْإِسْلَامِ دِيناً، وَبِمُحَمَّدٍ صَلَى اللهُ عَلِيهِ وَسَلَّمَ نَبِيَّاً
I am content with Allah as my Lord, with Islam as my religion and with Muhammad (SallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam) as my Prophet.
To be content with Allah as our Lord means that we accept whatever provision Allah has decreed for us, and whatever situation in life that He has chosen for us.
To be content with Islam as our religion means we accept whatever obligation and prohibition there is in this religion, regardless of our own desires.
To be content with the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as our Prophet means we fully accept his way of life, whatever decision he took, whatever he has said in his life.
According to the Hadith, anyone who says this Du’a 3 times in the morning and the evening will have a promise from Allah to make him pleased on the Day of Judgement.
May Allah grant us contentment and gratitude for what He has provided for us, may Allah be pleased with us on the Day of Judgement, and may Allah give us the best in this world and the Hereafter.