from either His veiling Himself from you or His punishing you in the Fire, then this statement, besides contradicting all the prophets and messengers and all the believers, is internally contradictory and contrary to plain reason.

This is because the contented person who makes no request refrains from asking only because he is content with Allah; and his contentment with Him comes only after knowing Him and loving Him. If we suppose that he is veiled from Allah and is content with the loss of every delight, then he is content with losing his contentment with Allah and his love for Him. If he no longer has any contentment with Allah or love for Him, it is as though he were saying, “He is content not to be content.” This combines two contradictories. Undoubtedly, these are the words of someone who has neither conceived of what he is saying nor understood it.

To clarify this: what enables a contented person to endure hardships and pains is the pleasure and sweetness he finds in contentment. If he loses that sweetness and pleasure, he cannot endure pain and bitterness. How, then, can he conceivably be content when he has none of the sweetness of contentment by which to bear the bitterness of hardships?