Continuation of the discussion on the ranks of people in relation to divine decree
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The Shaykh : She strikes her face, pulls her hair, and calls out woe and misery. This is forbidden. Or she exercises patience and restrains herself from forbidden actions, but she is like one sitting on hot coals; it pains and burns her, yet she cannot move. May Allah have mercy on you.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : We say this:
The student: It is obligatory.
The Shaykh : It is obligatory, or you may attain a higher state, which is to be content, meaning that you do not feel the impact of this event as if it did not happen; you are at ease and your chest is open. This is the description of this state, which is higher than the previous state, which is patience. Is it obligatory or not? The correct view is that it is not obligatory, but rather a recommended practice (sunnah). This is the choice of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and a group of meticulous scholars.
The fourth state: Above all of this is gratitude. You thank Allah for this affliction. This may seem impossible to a person: how can one thank Allah for illness, or poverty, or the death of children, or anxiety and fear? Yes, one thanks Allah, because the reward associated with this, and the expiation of sins through patience with it, is a great blessing. For the permanence of a state is impossible. Therefore, Allah the Mighty and Majestic commands us repeatedly to be patient: "Be patient, be patient, and await relief. Do not hasten matters. Be patient, for the permanence of a state is impossible," as they say. So when you feel this feeling and know that this matter must end—everything that exists has a limit and an end—and you see, feel, or are certain that you will be rewarded for this action if you are patient, and that your sins will be expiated by it, whether you are patient or not—yes—then what? You thank Allah for this. You say, "O Allah, You have afflicted me with this trial, for which I hope for the raising of ranks and the expiation of sins." Thus, you are grateful to Allah. Is that clear? These are the states of people when something disliked from the divine decree occurs.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : We say this:
The student: It is obligatory.
The Shaykh : It is obligatory, or you may attain a higher state, which is to be content, meaning that you do not feel the impact of this event as if it did not happen; you are at ease and your chest is open. This is the description of this state, which is higher than the previous state, which is patience. Is it obligatory or not? The correct view is that it is not obligatory, but rather a recommended practice (sunnah). This is the choice of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and a group of meticulous scholars.
The fourth state: Above all of this is gratitude. You thank Allah for this affliction. This may seem impossible to a person: how can one thank Allah for illness, or poverty, or the death of children, or anxiety and fear? Yes, one thanks Allah, because the reward associated with this, and the expiation of sins through patience with it, is a great blessing. For the permanence of a state is impossible. Therefore, Allah the Mighty and Majestic commands us repeatedly to be patient: "Be patient, be patient, and await relief. Do not hasten matters. Be patient, for the permanence of a state is impossible," as they say. So when you feel this feeling and know that this matter must end—everything that exists has a limit and an end—and you see, feel, or are certain that you will be rewarded for this action if you are patient, and that your sins will be expiated by it, whether you are patient or not—yes—then what? You thank Allah for this. You say, "O Allah, You have afflicted me with this trial, for which I hope for the raising of ranks and the expiation of sins." Thus, you are grateful to Allah. Is that clear? These are the states of people when something disliked from the divine decree occurs.