Raḍā bi-Qaḍāʾ Allāh
Definition
Rida bi-qada Allah — contentment with divine decree — is al-Ghazali's deepest prescription for the disease of hasad, because envy is ultimately a quarrel with the way Allah has distributed His blessings. The person who is genuinely content with divine apportionment — who trusts that Allah's distribution of blessings is wise, just, and precisely calibrated to each person's capacity and purpose — cannot sustain hasad for long. Every time the envious person turns their attention to the theological reality of what envy implies — a complaint against divine wisdom — the theological correction begins to erode the emotional disease.
As understood in the classical tradition of Imam al-Ghazali and the scholars of his school.
How the scholars use Raḍā bi-Qaḍāʾ Allāh.
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"In summary, the hearts' witnessing of His love and dislike is akin to the eyes' witnessing of His honor and humiliation. Chapter: The Hadith of Contentment with Divine Decree In discussing the حَدِيث of contentment with divine decree, it is questioned: By what scripture, prophetic tradition, or rational understanding have you come to know the obligation of being content with everything اللّٰه decrees?"
— Ibn al-Qayyim, Volume One
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"The first is adherence to the commands of the Sharia. The second is contentment with divine decree, destiny, and the distribution of Allah, the Exalted. The third is abandoning your own satisfaction in seeking the pleasure of Allah, the Exalted. You asked me about reliance on Allah; it is to firmly establish your belief in Allah, the Exalted, regarding what He has promised, meaning: to believe that what has been decreed for you will inevitably reach you, even if everyone in the world strives to prevent it from you, and what has not been written for you will never reach you, even if the entire world assists you."
— Imam al-Ghazali, Ayyuhā al-Walad — O Beloved Son
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"arrogance, vanity, hypocrisy, envy, intense anger, gluttony for food, lustful desires, love of wealth, and love of status. Among the saving traits are ten: remorse for sins, patience in afflictions, contentment with divine decree, gratitude for blessings, balanced fear and hope, detachment from worldly affairs, sincerity in deeds, good character with people, love for God Almighty, and humility before Him."
— Imam al-Ghazali, Book 39: The Book of Contemplation
Appears in
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