48 – al-Husayn narrated to us; he said: ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; he said: Ahmad ibn Ibrahim narrated to us; he said: Muhammad ibn Kathir narrated to us, from Sulayman al-Khawwas, who said:

A man’s son died and ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAziz came to console him. The father conducted himself admirably, whereupon one of the people remarked, “By Allah, this is contentment.” ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAziz replied, “Or it may be patience.”

Sulayman added, “Patience is a notch below contentment. Contentment is for a person to be pleased with whatever decrees may come before the calamity even occurs, while patience is for him to endure only after the calamity has descended.”