What is the station of contentment (riḍā)?
Riḍā is not passive acceptance. It is the highest of the stations of the heart in al-Ghazali's map — a deliberate, disciplined yes to whatever Allah has given.
10 passages from 5 books in the library
Rida is the high station of being satisfied with Allah's decree, which al-Ghazali ranks among the loftiest states of the heart. He explains that satisfaction grows out of patience — "this leads to the state of satisfaction" — and that it is rooted in love, for "the beloved's satisfaction becomes desirable because it is his satisfaction." He lists it among the stations of the soul alongside patience, gratitude, fear, hope, asceticism and trust. Contentment with one's small portion he calls satisfaction, opposed by covetousness; and grasping its rewards, he notes, "can make this process easier."
Drawn from the classical sources below — in the scholars' own words.
The classical approach.
These passages are drawn from 5 books by Ibn al-Qayyim and Imam al-Ghazali — part of the classical Sunni tradition that carries over a thousand years of reflection on the Qurʾān, the authentic Sunnah, and the consensus of the early community. Nothing below is a paraphrase. The words are the scholars' own, translated from the original Arabic manuscripts.
14th century · Damascus, Syria
Madārij al-Sālikīn — the classical map of the spiritual journey — and a vast body of work on the soul, love, the traps of the ego, and the nature of the heart.
More on Ibn al-Qayyim →
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"اللّٰه has chosen for him." الفُضَيْل بْن عِيَاض said to بِشْر الحَافِي: "Contentment is better than renunciation of the world, for the contented person does not wish for a status higher than his own." أَبُو عُثْمَان was asked about the saying of the Prophet, peace be upon him: "I ask You for contentment after the decree." He said: "Because contentment before the decree is a resolve for contentment, and contentment after the decree is true contentment.""
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"اللّٰه is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him. That is for those who fear their Lord" from سُورَة البَيِّنَة. Contentment with Him is the foundation of contentment with Him, and contentment with Him is the fruit of contentment with Him. The essence of the matter is that contentment with Him relates to His names and attributes, while contentment with Him relates to His reward and recompense."
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"Whoever is content with their Lord, اللّٰه will be content with them. Indeed, a servant's contentment with اللّٰه is a result of اللّٰه's contentment with them. It is surrounded by two types of اللّٰه's contentment with His servant: contentment before it, which causes Him to be pleased with them, and contentment after it, which is the fruit of His pleasure with them."
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"They were content with Him as their Lord, with مُحَمَّد as their Prophet, and with الإِسْلَام as their religion. His statement: "And it is the contentment with Him in all that He decrees." Here, there are three aspects: contentment with اللّٰه, contentment about اللّٰه, and contentment with اللّٰه's decree. Contentment with Him is obligatory."
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, "Indeed, Allah, exalted be He, has placed joy in contentment and certainty, and anxiety in doubt and discontent." To further understand contentment, know that some believe only patience is possible in adversity, not contentment. However, if love for Allah is established, contentment with His actions follows. This can happen in two ways: First, the sense of pain is nullified, so one does not feel it even when afflicted."
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"When asked how, he explained, "Just as a servant wishes for his master's pleasure, Allah desires His servants to be pleased with Him." Sahl stated, "The servants' certainty is proportionate to their contentment, and their contentment is proportionate to their living with Allah, exalted be He. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, "Indeed, Allah, exalted be He, has placed joy in contentment and certainty, and anxiety in doubt and discontent.""
14th century · Damascus, Syria
Madārij al-Sālikīn — the classical map of the spiritual journey — and a vast body of work on the soul, love, the traps of the ego, and the nature of the heart.
More on Ibn al-Qayyim →
· Provenance →
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"This is the paradise of this world and a bliss that has no equal. It is the source of strength for the lovers and the life for the knowers. The satisfaction of people's eyes is only according to their contentment with Allah Almighty. Whoever finds contentment in Allah, every eye is content with him. Whoever does not find contentment in Allah is left tearing his soul apart with worldly regrets."
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"Allah delights in good words, and they ascend to him. Good deeds he raises up. This delight is not like our delight. Interpreting it does not resolve the issue, for what these scholars found problematic in delight also applies to satisfaction. If they say his satisfaction is not like human satisfaction, then his delight is not like human delight. Based on this, everything from this domain applies. The day of resurrection is mentioned in the hadith because it is the day of recompense. On this day, the scent of the fasting person's mouth will outweigh the musk used to prevent bad odors seeking Allah's pleasure."
14th century · Damascus, Syria
Madārij al-Sālikīn — the classical map of the spiritual journey — and a vast body of work on the soul, love, the traps of the ego, and the nature of the heart.
More on Ibn al-Qayyim →
· Provenance →
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"Leave us alone with your talk. Paradise is the contentment of my soul, and the two units of prayer are the contentment of my Lord; and the contentment of my Lord is dearer to me than the contentment of my soul. The knower of God is upon the earth a sweet herb from the herbs of Paradise; when the aspirant breathes its fragrance, his soul longs for Paradise."
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"Some of the wise said the people of patience have three ranks: The first is abstaining from desires, which is the rank of the repentant. The second is contentment with what is decreed, which is the rank of the ascetics. The third is love for what their Lord does with them, which is the rank of the devout. We will clarify in the book of love that the station of love is higher than that of satisfaction, just as the station of satisfaction is higher than that of patience, and this division applies especially to patience with grievances and calamities."
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