Adapted from the lectures of Nokounam, (Session 289)
Introduction
The chapter al-Ri in Manzil al-Sirn by Khwaja Abdullah Ansari, shines like a radiant gem within the chain of mystical stations, playing an unparalleled role in the purification of the self and the spiritual approach of the seeker to the Divine Truth. This station, examined with profound depth and meticulous precision in the lectures of Nokounam, , explicates the second degree of contentment, namely al-Ri an Allh tal contentment with God Almighty and correlates it with the sublime Quranic verse:
رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ
(Quran 98:8)
Contentment with God resembles a profound ocean guiding the seeker towards the shore of tranquillity vis--vis Divine decree and predestination, liberating him from aversion and dissatisfaction with the acts of the Almighty.
Part One: Explication of the Station of Contentment with God and Its Quranic Basis
Introduction to the Second Degree of Contentment
The lecture commences with an introduction to the second degree of contentment, that is al-Ri an Allh tal, whereby the seeker attains complete satisfaction with Divine decree and predestination. This station, elucidated with reference to the noble verse:
رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَنْ خَشِيَ رَبَّهُ
(Quran 98:8, translated by : God is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. That is for those who fear their Lord.)
depicts a reciprocal relationship between Gods pleasure with His servant and the servants pleasure with God. Contentment with God elevates the seeker to a station where all Divine acts, whether deemed good or ill, become acceptable and even sweet to him.
Key Point: Contentment with God signifies the servants complete satisfaction with Divine decree, as expounded by the verse رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ, illustrating a reciprocal bond between the contentment of servant and Lord.
The Concept of Contentment with God
Contentment with God denotes the servants comprehensive acceptance of all Divine decrees, such that no aversion or displeasure remains within him concerning Gods determination. This station stands as a lofty summit in the mystical path, emancipating the seeker from carnal reactions to calamities and hardships. The lecture accentuates this through concrete examples such as the death of a child, financial loss, or harm from others highlighting that the seeker at this level embraces all these occurrences as manifestations of Divine wisdom and is freed from internal dissatisfaction.
This satisfaction flows like a pure, clear stream that cleanses the seekers heart from all impurities and leads him to profound tranquillity in the face of Divine decree and predestination. At this station, the seeker is pleased not only with God but also with all His actions, whether sweet or bitter.
Key Point: Contentment with God is the servants full satisfaction with all Divine decrees, freeing him from aversion and displeasure regarding Gods determination.
The Difficulty of the Station of Contentment
The station of contentment is described as weighty and exalted due to the difficulty inherent in accepting lifes afflictions and bitterness. Enduring events such as the death of loved ones, financial troubles, or harm from others requires mastery over natural carnal reactions. The lecture underscores that this station necessitates a profound inner transformation to transmute bitterness into sweetness. This alchemical process transforms the seekers heart from displeasure to contentment, guiding him towards the highest degrees of Divine proximity.
The challenge of contentment lies in the human egos innate aversion to hardship and calamity. The seeker must restrain this carnal inclination through spiritual discipline and submission to the Divine will to attain the station of contentment.
Key Point: The station of contentment is arduous due to the challenge of accepting afflictions, requiring deep inner transformation to convert bitterness into sweetness.
Summary of Part One
Contentment with God, as the second degree of contentment, elevates the seeker to complete satisfaction with Divine decree and predestination, intimately linked with the noble verse رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ. This station transcends mere satisfaction with the Divine essence, liberating the servant from aversion to Gods acts. The difficulty of this station resides in overcoming carnal reactions, compelling the seeker to profound inner transformation and acceptance of all Divine decrees. Contentment with God acts as a torch illuminating the spiritual path amidst lifes bitterness and sweetness.
Part Two: Characteristics of the Station of Contentment and Its Effects
Transmutation of Hardship into Blessing
At the station of contentment, every hardship (munat) is transformed into a blessing (minat), and every bitterness becomes sweet to the seeker. This concept roots itself in the mystical perspective of Divine decree, perceiving all events through the lens of Divine wisdom and mercy. The lecture stresses that the seeker, at this station, accepts all tribulations ranging from floods and droughts to harassment by neighbours or disobedient pupils as Divine benefactions, transmuting them into spiritual blessings.
This transmutation is akin to a mystical alchemy that converts the bitterness of life into the sweet nectar of Divine proximity. The seeker, perceiving Divine hand behind every event, attains tranquillity and satisfaction.
Key Point: At the station of contentment, every hardship is transformed into a blessing and every bitterness into sweetness, as the seeker views all occurrences from the standpoint of Divine wisdom.
Equality of States (Istiwa al-lt)
Istiwa al-lt equality of states signifies the seekers equanimity in facing good and evil alike. The seeker remains steady and serene before poverty or wealth, health or illness, and every good or evil emanating from God. The lecture portrays this attribute as a sign of liberation from carnal attachments and complete submission to Divine will.
Istiwa al-lt is like a gentle breeze that soothes the seekers heart from carnal fluctuations and stabilises him amidst lifes tempests. This characteristic elevates the seeker to a state where no event can disrupt his inner peace.
Key Point: Istiwa al-lt is the equality of the seekers states before good and evil, indicating freedom from carnal attachments and submission to Divine will.
Abandoning Hostility Towards Creation
At the station of contentment, the seeker relinquishes enmity towards creation and establishes a relationship based on love with all creatures humans, animals, and even inanimate objects. The lecture emphasises that this attribute results from accepting all events as Divine acts. The seeker perceives creation as agents of the Lord and replaces hostility with love and friendship. This love endures even in the face of calamities such as floods or droughts and unpleasant individuals like troublesome neighbours.
This abandonment of hostility acts as a bridge guiding the seeker from carnal separations towards unity with creation and Creator. The seekers heart at this station is filled with love and affection for all beings.
Key Point: The seeker at the station of contentment forsakes hostility towards creation and establishes a love-based relationship with all creatures, perceiving them as agents of the Lord.
Ceasing Insistent Supplication and Questioning of God
At this station, the seeker relinquishes persistent supplications and requests from God, achieving complete surrender to Divine decree. The lecture regards this trait as a sign of liberation from carnal needs and full trust in Divine wisdom. Instead of repeated petitions, the seeker attains a state of submission and only poses questions upon Divine command. This state represents the zenith of contentment and satisfaction with God, freeing the seeker from carnal dependencies.
This cessation of insistence resembles a mystical silence calming the seekers heart before Divine will, bringing him to a state where only Gods desire is sought.
Key Point: The seeker at the station of contentment ceases persistent supplication and attains complete surrender to Divine decree.
The Three Attributes of the Station of Contentment
The station of contentment is characterised by three defining attributes: istiwa al-lt (equanimity of states), suq khumat maa al-khalq (abandonment of enmity with creation), and khal min al-masalah wa al-il (freedom from insistence and questioning). The lecture introduces these three attributes as the principal criteria for the realization of contentment. Istiwa al-lt denotes inner peace before good and evil; suq khumat signifies love and friendship with creation; and khal min al-masalah indicates surrender and liberation from carnal desires. These three qualities function as wings propelling the seeker towards the apex of contentment.
These attributes mutually reinforce one another, aligning the seeker in perfect harmony with Divine will. The station of contentment, with these three characteristics, gleams like a jewel illuminated by Divine favour and pleasure.
Key Point: The station of contentment is defined by three attributes: istiwa al-lt, suq khumat maa al-khalq, and khal min al-masalah wa al-il, which serve as essential criteria for its attainment.
Summary of Section Two
The station of Reza (contentment), characterised by qualities such as the transmutation of affliction into grace, the istiwa al-halt (equilibrium of states), the abolition of enmity with creation, and the cessation of insistence towards the Divine, culminates in the wayfarer attaining perfect satisfaction with Divine decree and predestination. These attributes, elucidated through the triad of istiwa al-halt, suqut al-khusmah (fall of enmity), and khals min al-masalah (liberation from the issue), emancipate the seeker from carnal attachments, guiding them towards tranquillity and love in relation both to creation and the Creator. Contentment thus serves as a threshold to unity with the Divine Will, opening the portal whereby the seeker is led to direct nearness and proximity.
Section Three: Practical Strategies and Interpretative Critiques
Practical Method for Transforming Bitterness into Sweetness
The
dars-gofr (lecture) articulates a practical stratagem through a sagacious parable: hunger and fatigue constitute the most favourable nourishment and resting place for mankind. When hungry, any sustenance becomes delectable; when fatigued, any resting place becomes comforting. Analogously,
Reza transmutes the bitterness of life into sweetness, directing the wayfarer towards the joyful acceptance of Divine ordinance. This allegory acts as a reflective mirror, revealing the truth of inward perceptual transformation. Through spiritual practice and acceptance of Divine decree, the seeker is empowered to convert hardships into spiritual blessings, thereby preserving inner serenity.
Hunger and fatigue, by altering ones inner perspective, render food and rest pleasant and comfortable; likewise, Reza transmutes the bitterness of existence into sweetness.
The Peril of Hardening of the Heart
The discourse warns that speaking of contentment without actualising it in practice results in the hardening of the heart and inner darkness. The seeker must transcend mere theoretical acceptance and actively embody the station of contentment. Failure to commit to practice not only precludes spiritual advancement but precipitates regression and spiritual insensitivity. This admonition functions as a clarion call awakening the wayfarer to the dangers of stagnation in verbalisation and neglect of implementation. Contentment without action resembles a gem ensnared within a rough shell, deprived of its radiance.
Speaking of contentment without enacting it leads to the hardening of the heart and spiritual obscurity, depriving the seeker of genuine advancement.
Distinction of the Degrees of Contentment
The lecture delineates three degrees of
Reza:
Ri bi-llh (contentment with the Divine Essence),
Ri an-llh (contentment with Divine actions), and
Ri bi-ri llh (contentment with God's contentment).
Ri bi-llh indicates satisfaction with the Divine Reality itself;
Ri an-llh entails acceptance of Divine actions; and
Ri bi-ri llh epitomises the pinnacle of surrender and alignment with Divine Will. This taxonomy forms a ladder illustrating the stages of spiritual progress from general satisfaction to a more particularised and intimate contentment.
Ri an-llh serves as a distinctive inception and ultimate of the general stages, transitioning the seeker from general stations such as patience to specialised stations like contentment, rendering the soul wholly subservient to the Truth.
Contentment is classified into three degreescontentment with Gods essence, with His actions, and with His satisfactionmapping the spiritual ascent from general to particular contentment.
Critique of Adding "Qadar" to "Qadha"
The lecture critiques the commentators addition of the term
qadar (predestination) to
qadha (decree), attributing it to a carnal perspective. Khwajah Abdullah Ansari confines contentment strictly to Divine decree (
f m qa), whereas the commentators inclusion of
qadar extends the scope to encompass minute and grand affairs. The discourse argues that at the station of contentment, distinctions between the minor and major dissolve, and all predeterminations are accepted as manifestations of Divine decree. This critique acts as a key unlocking the door to the reality of contentment, demonstrating that in this state all Divine actionsregardless of scaleare uniformly embraced. The addition of
qadar reflects an unrefined, ego-bound viewpoint still estranged from the unity of Divine decree.
The commentators addition of "qadar" to "qadha" arises from an egoistic perspective; at the station of contentment, distinctions vanish, and all is accepted as Divine decree.
Summary of Section Three
The lecture, presenting a practical method to transmute bitterness into sweetness, emphasises the pivotal role of inward perceptual transformation. The warning regarding heart-hardening summons the seeker to actively practise contentment. The delineation of its degrees maps the stages of spiritual progress, introducing Ri an-llh as a distinctive threshold. The critique of the addition of qadar to qadha underscores the unity of Divine decree within contentment. This section serves as a navigational chart illuminating the path to the actualisation of contentment for the wayfarer.
Section Four: Contentment and Relationship with Creation
The Sign of Divine Satisfaction with the Servant
The lecture accentuates that the servants complete contentment with Divine decree and predestination signifies Gods satisfaction with the servant. This assertion is corroborated by the Quranic verse
رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ, illustrating the reciprocal relationship between the contentment of the servant and that of the Divine. When the wayfarer expresses pleasure with all Divine actions, such satisfaction manifests as a reflection of Divine approval.
The servants total contentment with Divine decree and predestination is indicative of Gods pleasure with the servant, as revealed in the noble verse رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ.
Philanthropy of Divine Scholars
The discourse highlights, with examples from Shia scholars such as the late Allh, the essential role of philanthropy as a hallmark of divine scholars. These luminaries, through humble living and love for the peopleeven amidst hardshipattain nearness to the station of contentment. Contrastingly, state-affiliated scholars, owing to their dependence on power, tend to drift away from philanthropy and contentment, succumbing to patronage and detachment. The example of the late Allh, who endured poverty and hardship, embodies a divine scholar whose philanthropy and acceptance of Divine decree brought him close to contentment. His storysuch as forgiving a soldier responsible for injuring his hand in the shrine of Imam Reza (a)serves as a beacon illuminating the light of contentment and love for creation.
Philanthropy characterises divine scholars who, through love for creation even in adversity, draw near to the station of contentment.
The Danger of Dependence on State Resources
The lecture cautions that the dependency of seminaries upon state funding results in degradation and calamity. This reliance leads not to service of the populace, but to patronage and estrangement from the station of contentment. Emphasis is placed on financial and spiritual independence of the seminaries as indispensable for preserving philanthropy and proximity to the Divine. This warning sounds as an alarm bell alerting seminaries to the peril of succumbing to power and detachment from the people. Independence acts as a shield protecting scholars from spiritual degradation.
Dependence on state funding leads to degradation and estrangement from philanthropy and contentment; independence is essential to uphold these virtues.
Respect for the Transgressor in the Execution of Divine Limits
The discourse, addressing the enforcement of Divine limits, stresses the necessity of preserving respect and compassion for the transgressor even during execution of the penalty. At the station of contentment, the seeker maintains love and respect towards the offender and carries out divine justice without animosity or disrespect. This perspective establishes a balance between justice and human dignity. Such an approach is like a gentle breeze, blending justice with compassion, purifying the seekers heart from hatred and enmity. Respect for the transgressor signifies contentment and submission to Divine Will.
The seeker at the station of contentment respects and loves the transgressor while executing Divine limits, harmonising justice with human dignity.
Summary of Section Four
Ri an-llh, with its markers such as reciprocal contentment between servant and Divine, philanthropy of divine scholars, and respect for the transgressor in enforcement of limits, establishes a profound connection with both creation and Creator. The caution against dependence on state resources underscores the imperative of independence and people-centredness. This section views contentment as a bridge guiding the seeker from individual spiritual journey towards social responsibility and love for creation.
Overall Conclusion
This work, synthesising the lectures of Nokounam (may his sanctity be preserved; session 289) alongside detailed analyses of the second source document, expounds the chapter of Bab al-Ri in Manzil al-Sirn, examining the station of Ri an-llh through the sacred verse رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ. Contentment with God leads the wayfarer to full satisfaction with Divine decree and predestination, characterised by qualities such as equilibrium of states, abolition of enmity with creation, and cessation of insistence towards God, liberating the soul from egocentric attachments. Practical strategiessuch as transforming lifes bitterness into sweetnessand warnings regarding heart-hardening invite the seeker towards active embodiment of contentment. The critique of adding qadar to qadha stresses the unity of Divine decree in this station. The philanthropy of divine scholars, respect for the transgressor, and warnings about dependence on state resources connect contentment to social responsibilities.
Supervised by: Sadegh Khademi
