al-Rida an Allah bi-Qadaihi li-Ibn Abi al-Dunya
- Author died
- 281 AH
- Editions
- al-Dar al-Salafiyyah
al-Rida ʿan Allah bi-Qadaʾihi (Contentment with God in His Decree) is an ethical and devotional treatise by the Baghdad-based hadith scholar and tutor Ibn Abi al-Dunya (208–281 AH / 823–894 CE), dedicated to the virtue of contentment (al-rida) with divine destiny and acceptance of God's ordainments during trials and prosperity.
Content and Themes
The work gathers prophetic traditions, statements of the Companions, Successors, and early ascetics illustrating submission to God's decree and abstaining from discontent. Its narrations address several central spiritual themes:
- The Reality of Contentment: The book defines contentment as the inner peace of the heart with whatever situation God places a servant in, without longing for an alternative state. It records sayings from figures such as Abd al-Wahid ibn Zayd, who termed contentment "the greatest gate of God, the paradise of the world, and the resting place of the worshippers," and Fudayl ibn Iyad, who described the content person as one who does not desire to be in a rank other than the one God assigned him.
- Contentment Versus Patience: It transmits traditions exploring the relationship between patience (sabr) and contentment (rida), including the prophetic report الصبر رضا ("Patience is contentment"), and statements describing contentment as a higher spiritual attainment.
- Conduct in Trials and Sickness: The text documents exemplary responses to hardship, including loss of wealth, crop failure, physical illness, and bereavement. It features reports concerning the long illness of the Companion Imran ibn Husayn, the statements of Ali ibn Abi Talib comforting Adi ibn Hatim after personal tragedies, and the counsel of Abd Allah ibn Awn regarding accepting hardship and ease alike.
- Qur'anic Exegesis and Poetic Maxims: It includes exegetical remarks from early authorities on verses concerning tranquility in adversity, such as وَمَنْ يُؤْمِنْ بِاللَّهِ يَهْدِ قَلْبَهُ ("And whoever believes in Allah - He will guide his heart"), alongside verses of poetry composed by bedouins and ascetics praising acceptance of God's distribution of sustenance.
Transmission and Editions
The treatise was preserved and transmitted from Ibn Abi al-Dunya primarily through his student Abu Ali al-Husayn ibn Safwan al-Bardha'i.
The text has been published in modern printed editions, including:
- An edition edited by Diya' al-Hasan al-Salafi, published by al-Dar al-Salafiyya in Bombay (1410 AH / 1990 CE).
- An edition edited by Mustafa Abd al-Qadir Ata under the title al-Rida ʿan Allah bi-Qadaʾihi wa-l-Taslim li-Amrih, published by Mu'assasat al-Kutub al-Thaqafiyya in Beirut (1413 AH / 1993 CE).
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