Rida - Contentment with Divine Decree
The spiritual state of acceptance and satisfaction with whatever Allah decrees.
Rida (الرضا) is contentment with Allah's decree—accepting what He gives and what He withholds with a peaceful heart. It is beyond sabr (patience), which endures difficulty; rida finds satisfaction in it. The Prophet (PBUH) said: 'Amazing is the affair of the believer—all of it is good. If good befalls him, he is grateful, and that is good. If harm befalls him, he is patient, and that is good.' Rida comes from trusting Allah's wisdom and understanding that temporary loss may bring eternal gain. It is among the highest spiritual stations.
Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. That is the great attainment.
Rabi'a al-Adawiyya, the great woman mystic, was asked: 'When is the servant content?' She replied: 'When he is as grateful in hardship as in blessing.'
Quran
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- What Islam says about gratitude
Contentment with what has been decreed, including what nobody would have chosen. This is where gratitude stops being easy, and the sources do not pretend otherwise.
- What Islam says about patience
Rida asks for more than sabr does: not enduring the decree but being satisfied with it, which is why the tradition ranks it among the highest stations. Be honest about the gap — the hadith cited alongside it still allows the believer only patience when harm comes, and keeps gratitude for when good does.