1.1. The actions of Allah are all based on justice, mercy and wisdom
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, is far above being unjust, for He is the Most Just and does not wrong anyone in the slightest. All His actions are based on justice, mercy and wisdom. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "And your Lord does injustice to no one." (al-Kahf 18:49)

Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) narrated that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, said, “O My slaves, I have forbidden injustice (zulm) to Myself and I have made it forbidden among you, so do not treat one another unjustly.”

Ibn Taymiyah said, “If there was someone whom another person punished for his bad deeds and by way of settling the score with the oppressor on behalf of the one who was oppressed, that is not wrongdoing or oppression on his part, according to all rational people. Rather it is something praiseworthy, and no one would say that the oppressor should be excused on the grounds that the divine decree ordained that he should commit that act of oppression. So if the Lord of the Worlds settles the score for some of His slaves against others, and He takes the rights of the oppressed from the oppressors, how could anyone say that this is wrong on the grounds that the divine decree ordained that those oppressors should commit those acts of oppression? The same applies to someone who puts everything in its rightful place, so he puts good with good in the appropriate place, and he puts evil with evil in the appropriate place. This is justice and wisdom on his part.”

1.2. It is not permissible to attribute evil to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted,
There is no evil in the divine decree whatsoever, for it is the knowledge and power of Allah, what He has written and willed. That is pure good and is perfect in every way. Therefore evil cannot be attributed to the Lord Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, at all, whether in His essence, in His names, in His attributes or in His actions. Rather a partial evil may exist in what is decreed, thus it may be evil in one way and good in another, so it cannot be not pure evil.

One example of that is qisas (retaliatory punishment). It may be regarded as bad in one way, but it is not bad in all ways; rather it is good because of the interests it serves, namely deterring people from committing crimes and punishing the one who is proven guilty.

‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to say in his supplication, “All goodness is in Your hand and evil cannot be attributed to You.” (Muslim) Al-Muzhiri said, “‘evil cannot be attributed to You’ means: evil is not something by means of which one may seek to draw close to You.

It was also said that what it means is: evil is not to be attributed to You, by way of showing proper etiquette before Allah. Do you not see that it cannot be said: ‘O Creator of the pigs,’ even though He is their Creator? That is because there is no respect or veneration in this phrase. Rather what may be said is: ‘O Creator of all things.’ Similarly, He is the creator of both good and evil, but it cannot be said: ‘O Creator of evil.’ Ibrahim, the Close Friend of the Most Gracious (Khalil al-Rahman) (peace be upon him) said (interpretation of the meaning), "Who created me, so He guides me, and it is He Who feeds me and gives me to drink." (al-Shu‘ara’ 26:78-79) Thus he attributed the actions of creation, feeding and giving to drink to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, because that is a reflection of respect and veneration. But he said, "When I am sick He heals me." (al-Shu‘ara’ 26:80) Here he attributed sickness to himself, because there is no veneration in attributing it to Allah.

Another opinion is that what this verse means is: Evil is not to be attributed to Your actions. In other words: none of Your actions are evil, for if You created evil, explained to people that it is evil and forbade them to do it, then Your actions cannot be evil.”

Ibn ‘Uthaymin said, “Allah’s action is what He decrees, and there is nothing evil in it. What results from His decree may be divided into good and evil, and this evil, which exists in the created being, exists for a reason.

If someone were to say: Why did Allah decree evil?
The answer is: Firstly: So that good would be contrasted with it and be recognised as good. Secondly: So that people would turn to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted. Thirdly: So that they would repent to Allah.”

We should point out that it is important to avoid using words that attribute evil to the decree of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, such as referring to the “mockery of fate” and so on.

1.3. Categories of the divine will
The divine will, as referred to in the Book of Allah, is of two types:
(1) The religious divine will.
(2) The universal divine will.
i. The first type: Religious divine will
This refers to everything that Allah loves and is pleased with, but it does not mean that what is willed will happen, unless it coincides with the universal divine will. This refers to all acts of worship, whether they happen or not. For example, Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "Allah intends for you ease, and He does not want to make things difficult for you." (al-Baqarah 2:185) Allah wants to make things clear to you and to guide you to the righteous ways of those who came before you; and He wants to turn to you in mercy; and Allah is All-Knowing, Most Wise.
Allah wants to turn to you in mercy, but those who follow their lusts want you to drift far away from the right path. "Allah wants to lighten your burdens, for man was created weak." (an-Nisa’ 4:26-28)

This will clearly indicates that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, does not love sins, disobedience, misguidance and disbelief; He does not enjoin them and is not pleased with them. He loves and is pleased with that which has to do with religious matters, and He rewards those who do such deeds, admits them to Paradise, and supports them in the life of this world and in the hereafter.

ii. The second type: Universal divine will
Whatever Allah wills happens and whatever He does not will does not happen. This will encompasses all that He has created. So everything that happens in this universe is subject to the will of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted. This applies to both believers and disbelievers, righteous people and evildoers, the people of Paradise and the people of Hell, the close friends of Allah and His enemies. Ibn al-Qayyim said, “There is a difference between the divine will that is connected to Allah’s actions and the divine will that is connected to whatever results from these actions. His actions are all good, just, purposeful and wise, and there is no evil in them whatsoever. As for whatever results from His actions, it may be subject to categorisation. This is the correct view according to what Ahl al-Sunnah say, that the action is different from the results of the action, and the divine action of creation is different from the creation which results from it. Based on that, there are two divine wills and two objectives: there is the will to act and what is connected to it is the action He does; and there is the will that His slave should do something, the outcome of which is the action of His slave that is separate from His action, and they are not connected. So Allah may want His slave to do something, but He does not want to help or enable him to do it or avert any obstacles from him that may prevent him from doing it. For example, He wanted Iblis to prostrate for Adam, but He did not want to help him or enable him to do that, or keep his heart steadfast in doing it and make him agree to do that. If He had wanted him to do that, then he would inevitably have done it.

In the verse (interpretation of the meaning): He does whatever He wills al-Buruj 85:16, Allah tells us of His will for His actions, not for the action of His slaves. This action and will cannot be divided into good and evil, as noted above. Based on that, if someone were to say that ‘He wills evil,’ that could give the impression that He likes it and approves of it. If someone were to say ‘He does not will evil,’ that may give the impression that He did not create it or bring it into existence. Both notions are wrong. Hence, if someone says that ‘Evil is His action’ or ‘He does evil,’ that may give the impression that evil is His direct action, and this is impossible. If someone were to say ‘He does not do evil’ or ‘Evil is not his action,’ that may give the impression that He did not create it or bring it into existence, and that is also impossible.”

Views of the scholars regarding the divine will
i. Ibn al-Qayyim said, “Here we should point something out and pay attention to it, for by knowing it much confusion will be dispelled that could impact those who have no knowledge of it. It is the fact that "Verily, His is the creation and the command." (al-A‘raf 7:54) Allah’s command is of two types: A universal command and a religious command. Thus His will is connected to His creation and universal command, and is also connected to what He loves and hates. All of that is connected to His will. For example, He created Iblis, whom He hates, and He created the devils, the disbelievers, and other beings and deeds that He dislikes, although he hates them. Thus His will is connected all of that. As for His love and pleasure, they are connected to His religious command and the laws and teachings that he enjoined on the lips of His Messengers. Whatever happens of that is connected to both divine love and the divine will and decree. Hence it is beloved to the Lord and happens by His will. For example, that includes the acts of obedience and worship done by the angels, the prophets and the believers, and whatever of that does not happen is still loved by Him and is part of His religious command, but it is not connected to His will.

Whatever happens of disbelief, evildoing and sin is connected to His will, but it is not connected to His love, approval or religious command. Whatever of it does not happen is not connected to His will or to His love. The word mashi’ah (divine will) is connected to His universal decree, and the word mahabbah (love) is connected to what is religiously approved. The word ‘will’ may be divided into the universal will, which is the divine will, and the religious will, which is divine love.”
ii. Ibn Kathir said, commenting on the verse (interpretation of the meaning), "Those who ascribe partners to Allah say: If Allah had so willed, we would not have worshipped anything besides Him – neither we nor our forefathers – and we would not have declared anything forbidden without His sanction. Likewise did those who came before them. Is the duty of the Messengers anything other than conveying the message in the clearest way?" (al-Nahl 16:35)
“What they say implies that if Allah disliked what we have been doing, He would have denounced it and punished us for it, and He would not have enabled us to do it. Allah says, refuting their specious argument: Is the duty of the Messengers anything other than conveying the message in the clearest way? In other words, the matter is not as you claim, that Allah did not denounce you for it or object to it. Rather He denounced it in the strongest terms and emphatically forbade it to you, and He sent a messenger to every nation, generation after generation, to every group of people, and all the messengers called people to worship Allah alone and forbade them to worship any besides Him.… So how can it be acceptable, after this, for any of the polytheists to say, If Allah had so willed, we would not have worshipped anything besides Him? That cannot be true in the case of His religious will, because He forbade them to do that on the lips of His Messengers. As for His universal will – which let them do that as part of His universal decree – they have no argument on that basis, because Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, created the Fire and its people among the devils and disbelievers, although He does not approve of disbelief for His slaves, and He alone has ultimate proof and definitive wisdom.”

iii. Ibn Baz said, “One of the essential elements of belief in the divine decree is believing that nothing in Allah’s Dominion happens that He does not will, and nothing happens in heaven or on earth except by His will.… He Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "Whoever Allah wills to guide, He opens his heart to Islam, and whomever He wills to leave astray, He closes and constricts his heart, as if he were ascending to heaven. Thus Allah places blight on those who do not believe." (al-An‘am 6:125)
There are very many similar verses, and this is well known from the Book of Allah. The will referred to in this verse is the universal will, in contrast to the religious will, which is mentioned in the verses (interpretation of the meaning), "Allah wants to make things clear to you and to guide you to the righteous ways of those who came before you; and He wants to turn to you in mercy; and Allah is All-Knowing, Most Wise. Allah wants to turn to you in mercy, but those who follow their lusts want you to drift far away from the right path. Allah wants to lighten your burdens, for man was created weak." (an-Nisa’ 4:26-28) The will referred to in these three verses is the religious will, which is connected to what Allah loves.

The difference between the two wills is that nothing will prevent the universal will; rather what Allah wills should happen will inevitably come to pass, as He Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "His way, when He decrees a matter, is merely to say to it, ‘Be!’ and it is." (Ya-Sin 36:82) As for the religious will, some people may comply with it and do what Allah wants of them, and some may not. To explain that further, we may note that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, wills and wants people to understand the message, be guided by it and repent, yet most people are not guided and are not enabled to repent, and they have not seen the truth, even though Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has made the proof and evidence clear and has shown the straight path, and he has prescribed means of repentance and has explained how to repent and turn to Him.”

1.4. Guidance and misguidance
1.4.1. Types of guidance
Ibn al-Qayyim said, “As for the types of guidance, they are four:
i. General guidance, by means of which every soul is guided to ways of surviving, fending for itself and finding sustenance. This is the most general type of guidance.
ii. Guidance in the sense of clarification of the truth, evidence for it, teaching, and calling people to what is in their best interests in the hereafter. This is only for those who are accountable, and this type of guidance is more specific than the first type and more general than the third.
iii. Guidance in the sense of being guided to the right path. This refers to: enabling a person to see the truth; it being Allah’s will that a person should be guided; and His creating the motives of guidance, making the person want to follow guidance and enabling him to do that. No one can guide in this manner except Allah, may He be glorified and exalted.
iv. Guidance on the Day of Resurrection to the path that will lead to either Paradise or Hell.”
Al-Sa‘di said, “Guidance is of two types: guidance in the sense of making things clear and guidance in the sense of enabling a person to adhere to the path of truth. Those who are righteous and fear Allah have been granted both types of guidance, whilst others have not been granted divine help to choose the path of truth and adhere to it. Guidance in the sense of making the truth clear without divine help to adhere to it is not true, perfect guidance.”

1.4.2. Guidance and misguidance are in the hand of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, alone
In reality, the matter of whether someone is guided or misguided is in the hand of Allah, and no one is able to guide or misguide anyone except Him. Rather those who call people to good or evil have no power to do anything except show people the way, explain the path and call people to guidance or misguidance.

Ibn Jarir said, “Guidance and misguidance are in the hand of Allah. The one who is guided and is adhering to the path of truth is the one whom Allah has guided to that, then enabled him to follow it. The one who is misguided is the one whom Allah has forsaken, so He did not enable him to obey Him. The one to whom Allah does that is the one who is lost and doomed.”
Al-Sa‘di said, “Guidance and misguidance are among the actions of Allah which are connected to His knowledge and wisdom. He gives guidance by His grace to those who deserve it, and He withholds it on the basis of justice from those who do not deserve it.”
Al-Sa‘di also said, commenting on the verse (interpretation of the meaning) "So when they chose to deviate from the truth, Allah caused their hearts to deviate from right guidance, for Allah does not guide disobedient people." (al-Saff 61:5), “So when they chose to deviate from the truth that is, they deliberately went astray. Allah caused their hearts to deviate from right guidance as a punishment to them for the deviation that they chose for themselves and were pleased with. Hence Allah did not enable them to be guided, because goodness was not appropriate for them and they were fit only for evil. for Allah does not guide disobedient people that is, those in whom disobedience and evil is inherent, and they have no desire to be guided. This verse shows us that if Allah allows His slaves to go astray, this is not injustice on His part, and they cannot use that as an argument against Him. Rather it is their own fault, for they are the ones who closed the door of guidance to themselves after they came to know of it, so Allah requites them after that by causing them to go astray and deviate, which they have no way to ward off, and the turning of their hearts away from the truth is a punishment for them and divine justice towards them, as Allah (st) says elsewhere, 'We will turn their hearts and eyes away (from the truth), since they refused to believe in it the first time, and We will leave them to wander blindly in their misguidance.' (al-An‘am 6:110)."

The fact that guidance and misguidance are in the hand of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, in a real sense should not prevent anyone from doing righteous deeds and striving for what is good, doing their best to attain rewards for good deeds and to avoid punishment for bad deeds, for there are means that may lead to both guidance and misguidance

One text which explains that is the passage in which Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "As for him who gives in charity and fears Allah, and believes in the ultimate good, We will make easy for him the path of salvation. But as for him who is miserly and thinks he has no need of Allah, and denies the ultimate good, We will make easy for him the path of perdition." (al-Layl 4-10)

Ibn Kathir said, commenting on these verses “It is as Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says elsewhere (interpretation of the meaning): We will turn their hearts and eyes away (from the truth), since they refused to believe in it the first time, and We will leave them to wander blindly in their misguidance al-An‘am 6:110. And there are many similar verses which indicate that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, will requite the one who intends to do good by enabling him to do it, and will requite the one who intends to do evil by forsaking him. All of that is in accordance with the divine decree, and the hadiths which speak of that are many.”

He also said, “A person usually dies in the state in which he has been, and he will be resurrected in the state in which he died. Usually Allah, the Most Generous, enables the one who intends to do good to do it and makes it easy for him, and whoever intends to do righteous deeds, He makes him steadfast in doing them.”

It was narrated that ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said, The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was at a funeral, and he picked up something and started tapping the ground with it, then he said, "There is no one among you but his place in Hell and his place in Paradise have already been written for him.” They said, "O Messenger of Allah, should we not rely on what has already been written and give up striving to do good deeds?" He said, "Carry on striving, for each person will be enabled to do that for which he was created. As for the one who is among the blessed (destined for Paradise), he will be enabled to do the deeds of the blessed, and as for the one who is among the doomed (destined for Hell), he will be enabled to do the deeds of the doomed." Then he recited the words (interpretation of the meaning), 'As for him who gives in charity and fears Allah, and believes in the ultimate good, We will make easy for him the path of salvation. But as for him who is miserly and thinks he has no need of Allah, and denies the ultimate good, We will make easy for him the path of perdition.' (al-Layl 4-10)" (al-Bukhari, Muslim)

Ibn ‘Ashur said, “Carry on striving, for each person will be enabled to do that for which he was created.’ The conclusion of this hadith is that there is a difference between the fact that Allah knows people’s deeds before they do them and the fact that He requires them to comply with His laws and commands, and that whatever people do of hidden and visible deeds throughout their lives is something that Allah already knew. The conclusion is that striving to do deeds is a means of attaining paradise or of falling into hell.”

1.5. Citing the divine decree to justify falling into disbelief, shirk or sin is an invalid argument
Believing that everything was known to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, from eternity then He wrote it, and that nothing is beyond His will and creation, does not mean that it is permissible to cite that as a justification for falling into disbelief, shirk or sin. Rather that is a false argument which results from a failure to properly understand the divine will and decree. The fact that something is written with Allah does not mean that the individual is forced or compelled to do what he does; rather he has complete freedom to choose and he alone bears responsibility for his choice, and will be rewarded or punished for that. The messengers were sent and the Books were revealed to make truth distinct from falsehood, so that each person could choose his own path on the basis of insight. But because Allah’s knowledge is perfect and nothing at all is hidden from Him, Allah knew beforehand what a person would choose, so He wrote what His slave would choose. Because Allah’s knowledge is perfect, what the person does will always be exactly as was previously known and written with Allah, may He be glorified and exalted. Therefore nothing will ever go beyond what Allah already knew and wrote. Moreover, this human choice is based on the free will that is granted to man, for Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, created for him both reason and free will, so he may choose whatever he wants.

So if a person chooses to follow a certain path or do a certain action, Allah may prevent him from doing that for a reason, or He may let him go ahead with his choice, without any divine intervention, for a reason. These reasons are connected to the individual himself. For example, if a person chooses guidance, Allah will increase him in guidance or will prevent him from falling into misguidance, because he initially chose guidance. This is grace from Allah, may He be glorified and exalted. If he chooses misguidance, Allah may leave him to what he chose and not keep him away from it because of the misguidance that he already chose, or He may cause him to be misguided because he deliberately fell into wrongdoing, rejection of the truth and so on. This is justice from Allah, may He be glorified and exalted. So the matter boils down to the individual’s freedom of choice. Based on that, it is not permissible at all to cite the divine decree as an argument to justify disbelief or sin. These Qur’anic verses clearly state that Allah does not approve of disbelief for His slaves and does not enjoin evil, so how could Allah compel a person to do evil, then after that call him to account and punish him for it? Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, is far above being unjust, for He is the most just of the just and is the Most Wise.

As for calamities which may befall a person, such as poverty, sickness and so on, which he did not bring upon himself and did not happen to him because of sin or negligence on his part, and the like, in such scenarios the divine will and decree may be cited as an explanation for what happened to him, so it may be said: This is the will and decree of Allah; we believe and accept it. Yet the one who is faced with this calamity and trial should strive to ward it off from himself, so he wards off the decree of Allah with the decree of Allah.

Ibn ‘Uthaymin said, “Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, issued commands and prohibitions, but He does not require of the individual more than he is able to do. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "So fear Allah as much as you are able." (al-Taghabun 64:16) "Allah does not place on any soul a burden greater than it can bear." (al-Baqarah 2:286)
If a person were compelled to do his bad actions, that would mean that he is accountable for something that he cannot avoid or rid himself of, and that cannot be true. Therefore when a person commits a sinful act because of ignorance or forgetfulness, or because he is forced, there is no burden of sin on him for that, because he is excused… The decree of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, is something secret and hidden, and no one knows it until after it comes to pass. The individual’s will to do an action precedes his action, so his will to do the action is not based on any knowledge of the divine decree on his part. In that case, citing the divine decree as an argument to justify his actions is invalid, because no one can argue on the basis of what he does not know…

We may see someone striving to acquire that which suits him of worldly gain until he gets it, and he does not turn away from it for something that does not suit him, then argue that he turned away from it because that is what was decreed for him. So why should he turn away from what is beneficial for him in his religious affairs and turn to what could harm him, then argue that this was decreed for him? Aren’t the two things the same? There is an example which may make that clearer to you: if there are two roads ahead of someone, one of which leads to a land where chaos reigns and murder, plunder, rape, fear and hunger are prevalent, whilst the other leads to a land where there is order, security, safety, an easy life and respect for people’s lives, honour and wealth, which of the two roads will he take?

He will take the second road, which leads to the land of order and safety. No man with any sense would ever choose to follow the road which leads to the land of chaos and fear, and cite the divine decree as a justification for his choice. So when it comes to the hereafter, why would anyone follow the road that leads to Hell and not the road that leads to Paradise, then cite the divine decree as a justification for his choice?”

Citing the debate between Adam and Musa (peace be upon them)
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, "Adam and Musa (peace be upon them) debated in the presence of their Lord, and Adam got the better of Musa. Musa said, 'You are Adam whom Allah created with His own hand and breathed into you the soul which He created for you, and commanded the angels to prostrate for you, and caused you to dwell in Paradise, then because of your lapse you caused the people to be sent down to the earth.’ Adam said, 'You are Musa whom Allah honored with His Message and by speaking to you, and He gave you the Tablets on which was the explanation of all things, and honored you by conversing with you in private. How long before I was created did you find that Allah wrote the Torah?’ Musa said, 'Forty years.' Adam said, 'And did you find in it (the words) 'Thus Adam disobeyed his Lord, and fell into error.' (Ta-Ha 20:121) He said, 'Yes.' He said, 'Are you blaming me for doing a deed which Allah decreed I would do, forty years before He created me?' The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, 'Thus Adam got the better of Musa.'" (al-Bukhari, Muslim)

This hadith, which tells of the debate and discussion which took place between Adam and Musa (peace be upon them), may give the impression that it is permissible to use the argument of the divine decree to justify falling into sin, but that is not the case. The scholars have explained what is wrong with this understanding of the hadith, and they have mentioned other ways of interpreting the hadith without coming to far-fetched conclusions. One of the clearest explanations in this regard is what Ibn Taymiyah said, “The correct view regarding the story of Adam and Musa is that the only reason Musa blamed Adam was the disastrous consequences that befell him and his offspring as a result of his action; he did not blame him for failing to comply with the command of Allah and sinning. Hence he asked him why he had caused humanity and himself to be expelled from Paradise, and he did not ask him why he had gone against the divine command or why he had sinned. People are enjoined, at the time of calamities which befall them as a result of the actions of other people or for other reasons, to accept the divine decree and bring to mind the fact that Allah is the Lord Who is in control and does whatever He wills.”

1.6. Acceptance of the divine will and decree
Ibn al-Qayyim said, “The ruling and decree are of two types: religious and universal. The religious decree must be accepted. This is one of the requirements of being a Muslim. In the case of the universal decree, some of it must be accepted with contentment, such as the blessings which require us to show gratitude, and part of perfect gratitude is being pleased with the blessings. And in some cases it is not permissible to be content with what is decreed, such as shortcomings and sins which are displeasing to Allah, even if they happen by His will and decree. In other cases it is recommended to accept the decree and be content with it, such as calamities… If someone were to ask: How can a person be content with the decree of calamity when he dislikes it very much and is averse to it? How can he be expected to be content with what is painful and hateful to him, and pain dictates that one should hate and resent it, which is the opposite of acceptance and contentment, and combining two opposites is not possible?

The answer is: Something may be liked and pleasing in one way, and resented and hated in another way, such as taking beneficial but unpleasant medicine. The sick person accepts it even though he dislikes it greatly. Another example is fasting on an intensely hot day. The fasting person is pleased to be fasting even though it is very unpleasant. A third example is jihad against the enemy. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "Fighting is prescribed for you, even though you dislike it. But it may be that you dislike a thing although it is good for you."
(al-Baqarah 2:216)

The sincere mujahid knows that fighting is better for him, so he accepts it even though he may resent it because of what he is exposing himself to of death or injury, and the pain that results from that, and leaving loved ones behind. Once a person becomes content with a thing and embraces it wholeheartedly, then his dislike of that thing will turn into love, even if it is not free of pain. Feeling pain when doing something is not contrary to being content with it, for hating it in one way does not contradict loving it, wanting it and being content with it in another way.”

Al-Sa‘di said, “What we have been enjoined to do is to accept and be content with calamity, and not with our shortcomings and faults.

So if we are afflicted with sickness, poverty, and other unpleasant things, or with the loss of a loved one, we must bear it with patience.”

Ibn ‘Uthaymin said, “We learn two important principles from our belief that Allah is the Sovereign of the heavens and the earth. The first is that we must accept the decree of Allah, and understand that if Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, decrees sickness for you, you should not object to that, and if He decrees poverty for you, you should not object to that, for you belong to Him and He may do with you whatever He wills. Just as He controls the clouds and causes them to give rain or not give rain, or to move to another land or not move, and He controls the sun and the moon and all of creation, by the same token He also controls you however He wills. If He wills, He will grant you good health and if He wills, He will take it away; if He wills, He will grant you reason and if He wills, He will take it away; if He wills, He will grant you wealth and if He wills He will take it away from you, for you belong to Him and you are His slave. If you believe in that, you will accept His decree. The second principle is that we should be content with His religious decree, accept His rulings and comply with them. For you belong to Him and are His slave; if He tells you to do something, you do it, and if He tells you not to do something, you do not do it. Do you not see that if you owned a slave and told him to do something, but he did not do it, would you think that you had full control over him as his master? Or if you told him not to do something then he did it, your control as a master would be lacking.”