Allah for Paradise and seeking His protection from the Fire must be either obligatory, recommended, permissible, forbidden, or disliked. No Muslim would say that they are forbidden or disliked. Nor are they merely permissible, with doing them and refraining from them being equal. Even if they were said to be so, doing something merely permissible does not contradict contentment. A contented person is not required to abstain from eating, drinking, dressing, or other such activities. If doing these things does not contradict his contentment, would a permissible supplication or request contradict it?

If such supplication and asking are obligatory or recommended, it is well known that Allah is pleased with the performance of obligatory and recommended deeds. How, then, could a contented person who is among Allah’s friends fail to do what Allah approves of and loves, and instead do what displeases Him and what He hates? This is the characteristic of Allah’s enemies, not His friends.

Al-Qushayrī mentioned this near the beginning of the chapter on contentment, saying: “Know that the servant must be content with that decree of Allah which He has commanded