they know Allah has commanded, and avoid what they know Allah has forbidden. As for other matters, they do not know whether these are commanded or forbidden, so they neither desire nor dislike them because of their lack of knowledge. They may accept them on the grounds that they have been created and decreed, and may even assist in bringing them about. They regard this as being in accord with Allah, believing that, once free of their own desires, they are commanded to be content with everything that occurs—indeed, even to assist in bringing it about.
This is a point at which error arises. We must love whatever Allah and His Messenger love, and hate whatever Allah and His Messenger hate. As for what Allah and His Messenger neither love nor hate—such as actions for which there is no accountability, including those of a sleeping or insane person—if Allah neither loves and approves of these actions nor dislikes and condemns them, then the believer likewise should neither love and approve of them nor dislike them. Their being decreed and created by Allah is not peculiar to them; rather, it is something shared by all created things. Allah Most High created what He created as He willed in His wisdom, and He has made everything He created excellent.
Contentment with the divine decree is of “three kinds”:
(The first) is contentment with acts of obedience. This is itself an act of obedience that is commanded.
(The second): Contentment with afflictions. This is commanded, whether as something recommended or as an obligation.