Benefits of Seeking Allah’s Pleasure at All Times

A servant will not prefer the pleasure of Allah the Mighty and Sublime to the pleasure of the creation, bears the burden and difficulty of that and remains patient on the trial, except that Allah will bring forth blessing, bliss and backing from that trial and difficulty in proportion to what he endured for His pleasure. He will turn his fears to safety, his likely place of destruction to salvation, his debilitation to relaxation, his difficulty to assistance, his affliction to favor, his tribulation to gift, and his irritation to pleasure. What a failure for those lagging behind! What a depravity for those who shy away!

It has become the unalterable way of Allah that whoever prefers the pleasure of the creatures to His pleasure, He will make his object of pleasure angry with him, and cause him to be disappointed from his angle, place his ordeal in his hand and his praise will turn to condemnation. And whoever prefers His pleasure out of discontent, he will not attain his aim from the creatures nor will he obtain the reward of the pleasure of his Lord. Such a person is the weakest and most thoughtless of creatures.

This is in spite of the fact that the pleasure of the creature is neither achievable, nor required nor transmitted as it is impossible; rather, they will certainly be angry with you. And for them to be angry with you while Allah is pleased with you should be dearer to you; this is more beneficial to you than that they should be pleased with you while Allah is not pleased with you.

 If their anger is inevitable upon evaluation, prefer their anger through which you will attain the pleasure of Allah, for they will be pleased with you afterwards; otherwise, the most despicable of things is the pleasure of one whose pleasure will not benefit you nor will his anger harm you in your religion, eemaan or in your Hereafter. Moreover, even if it harms you in an insignificant thing in this worldly life, the harm of Allah’s anger is greater.

Source: Madaarij as-Saalikeen by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (may Allah have mercy on him)