The Meaning of the Saying of Allah the Exalted: "So that you may not grieve over what has escaped you, nor rejoice over what He has given you."

The Shaykh : This is because when a person is deprived of what he loves, by the nature of his human constitution he becomes sad. And when he obtains what he loves, by the nature of his human constitution he rejoices and says, "I have acquired this," and he may attribute it to himself. For this reason, it is said, "Do not rejoice over what has come to you," because the matter is from Him, not from you. A person is between two things in divine decree and destiny: either his beloved thing escapes him, or he obtains his beloved thing. In the case of the beloved thing escaping him, he becomes sad by the nature of his human constitution.