Why Do Levels of Contentment with God Differ Among People?
We often assume that our well-being depends on what we have or who we are. But the reality is far more complex. A person may live in high prosperity yet still feel dissatisfied, while another with average welfare may live peacefully. There are even those who, despite severe hardships, neither complain nor burden others with their grievances.
What explains this difference? The answer lies in the human heart. Our sense of well-being is less about possessions or life events and more about the quality of our hearts and the extent of our contentment with God.
In fact, we could say that people’s state of mind depends less on material comfort and more on the condition of their hearts and their contentment with God. The heart determines what makes us happy and what disturbs our peace.
If a heart achieves balance and soundness, it has already set its priorities and organized all its beloveds correctly. Such a heart does not tremble with every deficiency or loss, because those shortcomings affect only the lower dimensions of our being. Its deepest bond is firmly tied to its greatest Beloved, that is God. Consequently, contentment with God and trust on Him flows on this connection.
In this relationship, the person reaches such harmony with their Beloved that they are certain every event in the world, designed by the Lord and Mentor of the universe, is meant to train them into the highest rank of humanity.
Thus, contentment of the heart reveals the soundness of it. Importantly, contentment with God is not just about what we have or what happens in our lives. It is a profound agreement, acceptance, and satisfaction of the heart with every will, preference, and command of the Infinite Beloved. This extends from obedience to divine and moral teachings to acceptance of life’s hardships, trials, and tribulations. To better understand the connection between contentment with God, soundness of the heart, and purity of the soul, let us explore two key forms of contentment.
Contentment and Submission to Divine Commandments
A child’s growth requires careful planning of diet, sleep, play, and education. Wise parents set limits not out of harshness, but out of love and responsibility, so that their children may thrive.
Similarly, God’s commands in the form of religion’s commandments, ethics, and some beliefs serve the same purpose. He is our Creator, Constructor and the Expert on our creation. So only He can have the most accurate information about our dos and don’ts. As our Creator and the One who knows the structure of our being, only He can provide the most accurate guidance on what benefits us and what harms us. Divine commands nurture our spiritual and human dimension. Far from harming us, His limits are like the care of a loving teacher who trains us to reach our highest spiritual potential.
Just as a wise student trusts a strict but knowledgeable instructor, a believer with a sound heart trusts in God and is submissive to His commands, knowing they are for their ultimate good. But where does this submission and contentment come from?
Only a sound heart can truly submit to and be content with God’s will. Such a heart knows God deeply and loves its own essence sincerely. It places Him above all other beloveds, prioritizing divine will over personal desires.
By contrast, many people have not yet known their true selves. They define themselves only in terms of material, physical, or rational needs. When these aspects are challenged, they feel restricted and complain against God.
In reality, divine commands limit only the lower dimensions of our being so that the higher aspects can ascend. Overeating, oversleeping, and excessive talk, for instance, are restrained so that the soul may become lighter and purer.
Thus, contentment with God in following His commands arises from two roots:
1. Deep knowledge of God and belief in His wisdom and lordship
2. Proper prioritization of loves and attachments
When a heart reaches this stage, God Himself takes charge as its guide, leading it along the luminous path of growth.
Contentment in the Face of Incidents and Life’s Challenges
We previously spoke of patience, but contentment with God is a level higher than patience. The question is: how does this deep contentment form within a person’s heart?
The answer is that a sound heart is firmly bonded with its Beloved and believes that every incident, even the most bitter, is part of God’s plan for its nurture.
Such a person knows the dimensions of their existence well. They know that financial loss affects the material dimension of their being. Illness touches the vegetative dimension. Losing social relations or status impacts the animal aspect. Yet none of these harm the spiritual dimension which is the truth of their existence.
By analyzing and prioritizing these losses, the person remains calm, knowing that God’s plan as the human’s Mentor is to preserve the balance and soundness of the heart.
Our strong attachments to wealth, beauty, relationships, social status, or knowledge often weigh us down. To bring us back to our true path which is according to our inner nature (fitrah), God sometimes removes these attachments. It is like a loving mother taking away her child’s pacifier to help in their growth process.
We often suffer in these separations because we have not yet understood our deep relation with God. But a sound heart welcomes them, knowing they are necessary for them to have a lightly spiritual growth and rising higher—like a traveler who must set down excess baggage to fly.
We want to grow while clinging to worldly desires, but these often conflict with our true nature. At times, God disrupts our plans to suppress our limited selfish ego and give birth to a greater soul within us.
In this journey, contentment with God acts like a catalyst: it accelerates growth and reduces resistance. Such a heart does not tremble in adversity and trials, because its joy comes from closeness to God. It no longer relies on itself but knows that God is the One guiding and supporting it through the path of perfection.
Ultimately, contentment with God is initially a practice for attaining a sound heart and then becomes an inseparable part of that heart’s very structure.
Perhaps it is time we ask ourselves: Do we have true contentment with God in our heart, or do we only smile when things go well but falter in hardship? Contentment with God is not just a positive feeling; it is a mirror reflecting how well we know ourselves and our Creator. Are we still clinging to small beloveds, or have we entrusted our hearts to the Greatest Beloved? Reaching a sound heart may be difficult, but it is certainly possible. The journey begins with contentment —when we choose trust over complaint and surrender over resistance.