to it, “Be,” and it is. Had Allah willed, He could have removed their deformities without sending an angel; yet He made the angel a means of testing and trial.

Another lesson: Allah may bless a person’s wealth so that it yields far more than expected. Each of the three men ended up with an entire valley—one full of camels, another of cattle, and the third of sheep—purely by Allah’s blessing. The angel, after all, had invoked blessing for every one of them.

Another point: human beings differ in how they show gratitude for Allah’s favor and in how they benefit His servants. The leper and the bald man, though Allah had given them the greatest and most valuable property, denied His blessing. They claimed, “We inherited this wealth from father to son,” but they were lying; they had been poor and Allah enriched them. Instead—Allah’s refuge is sought—they rejected His favor and attributed it to their forefathers.

The blind man, however, thanked Allah for His blessing, acknowledged His grace, and for that reason Allah granted him success and guidance. He told the angel, “Take whatever you wish and leave whatever you wish.”

This ḥadīth also proves that Allah’s pleasure and displeasure are real: He is pleased with whom He wills and displeased with whom He wills. These are attributes we must affirm for our Lord, exalted is He, because He has described Himself with them. In the Noble Quran He says about pleasure: “Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him” (Tawbah 9:100). Concerning displeasure He says: “that Allah is displeased with them and they will remain in punishment” (Māʾidah 5:80). And regarding anger He says: “Allah has become angry with him and cursed him” (Nisāʾ 4:93). The people of the Sunnah believe in these and all similar attributes.