Who Are You Complaining About?

The renowned Sufi scholar of the 12th century and head of the Qadiriyyah tariqah, Abdulqadir al-Gilani (quddisa sirruhu), describes in his work called "Futuhu'l-Ghaib" the manners one should embrace in the face of troubles:

Don't let anyone know your situation. Form a deep connection with Allah. Find peace in being with Him. Let your begging and supplication be only to Him because no one is capable of doing any benefit or harm other than Him. There is no one except Him who has the power to bestow honor or humiliation, none who can raise or lower someone’s status or give poverty or wealth to anyone.

Everything is created by Him and abides under His rule. Everything happens by His permission and order, and occurs precisely in the way and to the extent He wishes. There is no creature that can bring forward what He has delayed or delay something that He has brought forward.

Allah says in the Qur’an: “If Allah brings some harm to you, there is none to remove it except He. And if He intends to bring some good to you, there is none to turn His grace back. He brings it to whomever He wills from among His servants. He is the Most-Forgiving, the Very Merciful.” (Yunus, 107).

If you act ungrateful and complain about Him while basking in His blessings, you will earn His ire, and He will revoke His blessings on you. He will turn that which you gripe about into reality, add to your predicament and increase your punishment even more. He will remove you from among His loved servants. Therefore, do not complain about Him even if you suffer a thousand hardships.

Avoid complaining about Allah at all costs because most of the calamities people find themselves beleaguered with are brought on by complaining about Him. How can anyone complain about Allah, who is the most compassionate, the most just of rulers, the all-knowing, the most merciful and gracious to His servants? He never wrongs or does injustice to His servants. He is like a wise, compassionate and gentle doctor. The Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) once said, “Allah is more merciful to his servants than a mother is to her child.”

O poor and weak servant! Embrace good character and high morals! Be patient even when you are powerless to overcome the trials and tribulations you face. Even if you are discontent with the turn of events in your life, first show patience and then try to attain contentment. Then relinquish your will. Be wary of where you are and what you see. Have you not heard the words of Allah? “Fighting is enjoined upon you, while it is hard on you. It could be that you dislike something, when it is good for you; and it could be that you like something when it is bad for you. Allah knows, and you do not know.” (Al-Baqarah, 216)

The actual reality is not laid bare before you; your eyes are veiled. Do not consider yourself the measure of what to embrace and what to shun lest you be sullied with insolence! If you fear Allah, follow the shariah in everything that befalls you. Be content with what comes and follow orders, not your desires.

Don't defy fate! Do not resist it, but resist your desires and curb them. Protect your tongue from complaining. Should you do this, if what happens to you is good, Allah will multiply its goodness. If it is bad, then holding your tongue helps you obey Him and saves you from condemnation. It shields you from feeling the injurious effects of the ordeal that distresses you until it comes to an end.

When the night draws to a close, it leaves its place to the day; the cold of winter cedes to the warm summer. These are examples you should learn from.