"People differ greatly. Let me divide them into four levels." (25:46)
From the episode
- 1. Discontent and panic. Anger at what was decreed: "Why me? Why would God decree this?"
- 2. Patience. Burning inside, but saying "God help us" and enduring, without protest.
- 3. Contentment. "Since You chose this for me, my Lord, I accept it", out of trust in God.
- 4. Gratitude. The highest level, reached through certainty and contentment.
- Not a sign of sin. Some believe misfortune falls only on the disobedient. He says no: you can be among the closest to God and still go from one hardship to the next.
- The Prophet was not spared. At Uhud his tooth was broken, his uncle Hamza killed and his army defeated. At the Kaaba, while he prayed, Uqba ibn Abi Mu'ayt strangled him until he nearly died.
- Nor the other prophets. He mentions Job's long illness, Jacob's long separation from Joseph, and Abraham thrown into the fire.
- So expect it. Expect hardships and program yourself for them, so that you pass through them instead of fighting them.
The idea, explained
Four levels of response
The four levels are a classic scheme in Islamic writing on the heart, found for example in Ibn al-Qayyim. They describe the response, not the event: two people can face the same loss and stand on different levels.
| Level | Inside | Outside | What changes going up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discontent and panic | Protest | Complaint, blame | |
| Patience | Pain, held in | Restraint | Stops fighting the decree |
| Contentment | Trust | Calm | Stops feeling it as an injustice |
| Gratitude | Seeing a gift | Thanks | Sees good in it |
A more useful question than "which level am I on?" is "what would one level up look like for me today?"
Hardship is not a sign of being unloved
His second point removes a common extra burden: the belief that suffering proves God is displeased. The examples he chooses, the Prophet at Uhud and at the Kaaba, Job, Jacob and Abraham, are the people closest to God in his tradition, and each was tested hard.
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Key terms
Discontent (sukht) · Panic (jaza') · Patience (sabr) · Contentment (rida) · Gratitude (shukr).