Alhamdulilahi and may bless and peace be upon prophet Muhammad and his family and companion, Contentment mean that the slave is satisfied with what Allah has decided and granted of blessings. In terms of health and wellness, money, housing and wife, and to see that he is better than all of Allah’s creation, and to keep his tongue in constant remembrance of Almighty Allah the blessed, so he says: “Praise be to Almighty Allah who has preferred me over many of his faithful servants and not to be discontented, and despise Allah's grace and blessing on him, and diminish it. Or, to see that he deserves more than that.
Almighty Allah says:-
فَأَمَّا الْإِنْسَانُ إِذَا مَا ابْتَلَاهُ رَبُّهُ فَأَكْرَمَهُ وَنَعَّمَهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّي أَكْرَمَنِ (١٥) وَأَمَّا إِذَا مَا ابْتَلَاهُ فَقَدَرَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقَهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّي أَهَانَنِ(١٦) [ سورة الفجر].
Now, whenever a human being is tested by their Lord through his generosity and blessings, they boast, “My Lord has ˹deservedly˺ honoured me{15} But when He tests them by limiting their provision, they complain My Lord has ˹undeservedly˺ humiliated me {16} [ Surah Al fajir]
Our noble Messenger called for success and victory for the one whom Almighty Allah has blessed with contentment, so he said in the hadith that Imam Muslim provided in his Sahih that the Prophet, may Allah's blessed him and grant him peace said:
قد أفلح من أسلم، ورُزق كَفَافًا، وقنَّعه الله بما آتاه.
meaning: He Is successful who has accepted Islam, who has been provided with sufficient for his want and been made contented by Allah with what He has given him.
Being content with what Almighty Allah has blessed, leads to avoiding the forbidden earnings that prevent the supplication from being answered, just as chastity drives everyone to perform his work and duty within the permissible limits, and among the reasons for the believer’s success is preventing oneself from the forbidden, and striving for permissible earnings. The indication that a contented person people loves him and Allah loves him, and that contentment is achieved for him in the hereafter and the world, for it is a path to paradise, and it is also the cause of blessing, as it is an indestructible treasure, and a greedy person is never satisfied, and he does not feel blessed in livelihoods, and insists in asking people .
Therefore, contentment is the most important characteristic that every individual should possess. It makes a person feel that he is always the best, although it may be otherwise, but his feeling of contentment made him not look at others.
Prophet Muhammad may Allah bless and peace be upon him said:-
ليس الغنى عن كثرة العَرَض، ولكن الغنى غنى النفس .
Meaning: Richness is not having many possessions, but richness is being content with oneself.
That is why contentment is the most important characteristic that every individual must possess. It makes a person feel that he is always the best, although it may be otherwise, but his feeling of contentment made him, not to look at others.
And if you see someone who is more wealthy, have children than you then know that there are those who are have more than him in money and children, so look at who you are above,And do not look at who is above you. Our beloved prophet Muhammad may Allah bless him and grant him peace point to this he says:-
انظروا إلى من هو أسفل منكم، ولا تنظروا إلى من هو فوقكم، فهو أجدر أن لا تزدروا نعمة الله عليكم.
Meaning:- Look at those below you, and do not look at those above you, for it is more appropriate that you do not despise the blessing of Allah upon you.
And again:It came in some narrations of this authentic hadith that the Prophet, may Allah’s bless and peace be upon him, said:
يا أبا ذر أترى كثرة المال هو الغنى ؟ قلت : نعم يا رسول الله، قال : أفترى قلة المال هو الفقر ؟ قال : قلت : نعم يا رسول الله، قال : إنما الغنى غنى القلب، والفقر فقر القلب
Meaning: O ! Abu Dhar, do you see that an abundance of money is wealth? I said: yes messenger of Allah, he said: Do you think the lack of money is poverty? I said: Yes, Messenger of Allah, he said: Richness is the richness of the heart, and poverty is the poverty of the heart.
Therefore, whoever is poor in heart may not care about earning money from permissible or forbidden, he may cheat in his business, or steal if an opportunity arises, or take a bribe, because the love of the world has settled in his heart and this heart spoils him and prevents him from being satisfied with what Almighty Allah has provided for him.
The meaning of my words does not mean that people should refrain from working and earning money, and trying to achieve wealth through legitimate and good earnings, because contentment does not prevent the merchant from developing his trade, nor for a Muslim to strike the land seeking his livelihood.But all of this is required and desirable, we ask from Almighty Allah healthy and safty.
THE METHODS FOR GAINING CONTENTMENT.
1-Reading the Qur’an and meditating on the Qur’anic verses that dealt with the issue of livelihood.
2- To know that in contentment there is self-esteem, and in greed is humiliation
3- A person suffices with what he sustains.
4- Seeing the biography of therighteous companion, theirasceticism and their contentment, and following their example.
5-Economy in spending, and not being extravagant and wasteful.
6- The insistence in supplication that Allah bless him with contentment, as did the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.
7- The firm belief that livelihoods are destined.
8- The belief that Allah Almighty has made the disparity in livelihoods among people a wisdom that he knows. 8- Remembering death and visiting graves
Words of contentment
*We used to call contentment “the wealth of the soul”, where a person feels that he is rich in himself and not what he possesses, because he derives his value from himself.
*Contentment is suffice with what is inadequate, leaving civility to the lost, and dispensing with what is present
*If you ask for glory, ask for it by obedience, and if you ask for wealth, then ask for it with conviction, for whoever obeys Allah, the Exalted, may He be glorified and defended, and whoever is bound by conviction, his poverty will be removed.