or regret over it; for he is completely content, and his state is higher than that of the patient person.

For this reason, contentment is recommended, not obligatory.

As for the grateful person, he is the one who thanks Allah for this calamity. But how can he thank Allah for a calamity when it is a calamity?

The answer is from two perspectives:

First: he considers those who have been afflicted with something more severe, and so he thanks Allah that he has not been afflicted likewise. This is the meaning of the hadith: “Do not look at those who are above you; rather, look at those who are below you, for that is more likely to prevent you from belittling Allah’s favor upon you.” (1)

Second: he knows that, through this calamity, his sins will be expiated and his ranks raised if he is patient. What is in the Hereafter is better than what is in this world, so he thanks Allah. Moreover, the people most severely tested are the Prophets, then the righteous, then the next best and the next best. Thus, he hopes that through it he will become righteous, and so he thanks Allah for this blessing.

It is related that Rabi‘ah al-‘Adawiyyah injured her finger, yet did not react at all. She was asked about this, and she replied: “The sweetness of its reward made me forget the bitterness of bearing it.”