Ridha (Satisfaction)

An anecdote related by al-'Attar and reported by al-Makki on Rabi'ah al-'Adawiyyah's Ridha (Satisfaction) with her life and God.

"One day, Malik ibn Dinar went to visit Rabi'ah. He found in her hut a broken jug containing water for her to serve as drink and ablution, a brick to serve as a pillow and a tattered mat to serve her for bed. Seeing the way she lived her life, Malik ibn Dinar offered Rabi'ah some material aid from his rich friend to fcilitate her daily needs. However, she refused and said:

"Is there is one God who supports me and another who supports him? If not, will He forget me for my poverty and remember him for his riches? The truth is that, He does not forget anybody; so we have to remind Him of nothing. He knows what is best for us and caters or withholds His gift accordingly".

MasyaAllah.... we should ponder on our attitudes towards our Lord and try to muhasabah our discontentments and dissatisfactions in our lives. We may not have a very firm, deep-rooted iman like Rabi'ah, nevertheless we can try to enhance our iman by reminding each other like this. May Allah Bless us....in this world and Hereafter...