The second is his knowledge that Allah’s choice for His believing servant is better than the servant’s choice for himself. Muslim relates in his Sahīh, as do others, that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“By Him in whose hand is my soul, Allah decrees nothing for the believer except that it is good for him. This applies to no one but the believer: if prosperity comes his way, he gives thanks, and that is good for him; if adversity befalls him, he remains patient, and that is good for him.”

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, thus explained that every decree Allah ordains for a believer who patiently endures affliction and gives thanks in prosperity is good for him. The Most High says:

“Indeed, in that are signs for everyone steadfast in patience and grateful.”

He mentions these two qualities in four places in His Book. As for someone who neither patiently endures affliction nor gives thanks in prosperity, it does not necessarily follow that the decree is good for him. Hence, to anyone who questions how this applies to sins decreed for a believer, I give two answers.

The first is that this concerns only what befalls the servant, not what the servant does. This is like the words of the Most High:

“Whatever good befalls you is from Allah”—meaning prosperity—“and whatever evil befalls you is from yourself”—meaning adversity.

Likewise, the Most High says:

“We tested them with good and bad, so that they might return”—meaning prosperity and adversity—as the Most High says:

“We test you with evil and good as a trial.”

And the Most High says:

“If good befalls you, it grieves them; but if you are afflicted with