Ibn Daud - A Handbook of Spiritual Medicine

Displeasure with the Divine Decree
Academic Treatment
Love for Allāh Allāh says:
o
You understand that to
be content with Allāh’s
decree, you must love
Him, and to love Him, you
must know Him
Qur’ānic, Prophetic
& Scholarly Evidence
o
“O believers! When you are told to make room in
gatherings, then do so. Allāh will make room for you (in
His grace). And if you are told to rise, then do so. Allāh
will elevate those of you who are faithful, and (raise)
those gifted with knowledge in rank. And Allāh is All-
Aware of what you do” [Al-Mujādilah 58:11]
“Say (O Prophet), ‘Are those who know equal to those
who do not know?’ None will be mindful (of this) except
people of reason” [Az-Zumar 39:9]
DISPLEASURE WITH THE
DIVINE DECREE
You remind yourself that
the quickest route to
accessing Allāh is
through the pursuit of
knowledge
Acknowledging the
Prophet’s Tribulations
You are conscious of the
fact that no one faced
greater tribulation than the
Prophet
You realise that although
you cannot choose what
befalls you, you can
choose your responses to
the trials of life, which are
inevitable
The Prophet said:
o “The person for whom Allāh intends good, He
blesses him with the understanding of Dīn”
[%a#ī# Al-Bukhārī 71, 3116, 7312, %a#ī# Muslim 1037:100]
o “That person who treads the path towards acquiring
knowledge, Allāh simplifies a path for him into
Jannah” [%a#ī# Muslim 2699:38]
The Prophet faced the following tribulations, however not
once in a single hadith is there a complaint from him, except
when beseeching his Lord:
o He lived to see all of his children buried, except for
Fā{imah
o His father died before his birth
o His mother died when he was just a boy
o His guardian grandfather died at a time when his
presence was invaluable
o When he received his calling, he saw people turn against
him with vehemence and brutality
o People who had once honoured him now slandered him,
calling him a madman, a liar, and a sorcerer
o People stalked him and threw stones at him until he bled
o People boycotted him and composed stinging and
abusive language against him
o He lost his closest friends and relatives, like *amzah ,
who was killed on the battlefield
o His beloved wife Khadījah , after 25 years of blissful
marriage, died during the Prophet’s most difficult moment
o Abū ^ālib, his protecting uncle, also died
o He was the target of 13 assassination attempts
When the Prophet saw people severely tried, he made the
supplication: “Praise be to Allāh who has saved me from what
He has afflicted you with, and for honouring me over many of
His creation” [At-Tirmidhī 3431, Ibn Mājah 3892]. The Prophet would
say this du’ā without letting the afflicted person hear him, so as
not to hurt him.
76