Imam Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullah) said:

One of the widespread calamities that people fail to realise is when a servant of Allāh is bestowed with a blessing chosen by Allāh Himself, yet the servant grows weary and desires to exchange it for what they perceive as better, driven by ignorance. Despite this, Allāh, in His Mercy, initially does not strip away this blessing, pardoning the servant’s ignorance and poor judgment. However, as the servant struggles to appreciate the blessing, feeling discontent and voicing complaints, Allāh eventually withdraws it. Upon attaining what he wished for and witnessing the clear difference between what he had before and what he has now, the servant is overcome with anxiety and remorse, longing for what was lost.^[1]

When Allāh wills goodness and guidance for His servant, He enlightens them to recognize that their current blessings are from Him, instilling contentment and the capacity to be grateful. If the servant contemplates altering these blessings, they turn to their Lord for guidance (istikhārah), acknowledging their inability to discern what is truly best and their dependence on Allāh’s assistance. Putting their complete trust in Allāh, they ask Him to select what is best for them.

There is nothing more harmful to the servant than becoming bored with the blessings of Allāh, as they neither see them as blessings, are grateful to Allāh for them, nor are happy with them. Instead, they become bored, complain, and consider them as a source of distress. Yet, they do not realize that these are actually among the greatest blessings of Allāh upon them.

The majority of people are oblivious to the blessings of Allāh. They fail to acknowledge and appreciate the extent of Allāh’s blessings and favors upon them. Moreover, they exert effort to push them away due to their ignorance and injustice. How often is a blessing bestowed upon a person while they are striving to reject it, and how often do they actually receive it while pushing it away, simply due to their ignorance and injustice?

Allāh, the Most High, said:

ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَمْ يَكُ مُغَيِّرًا نِّعْمَةً أَنْعَمَهَا عَلَىٰ قَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ ۙ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

“That is because Allāh will never change a favour which He has bestowed upon a people until they change what is within themselves. And certainly, Allāh is Hearing and Knowing.” (Surah al-Anfal 8:53)

And He, the Most High, said:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ

“Certainly, Allāh will not change the [good] condition of a people until they change what is in themselves (by committing sins and being ungrateful).” (Surah al-Ra’d 13:11)

Nothing is worse than a servant harboring enmity towards the blessings they have received. In doing so, they ally with their enemy (Shaytān) against themselves. Their enemy ignites a fire by instilling discontent with their blessings, and they add fuel to the flames, intensifying it.^[2] Thus, they first enable their enemy to ignite the fire and then aid their own adversary in stoking it until it grows strong. Ultimately, when the flames rise high, they seek assistance against the fire and attribute blame to the Qadr (divine decree).

Source: al-Fawā’id (pp. 262-263)

Footnotes:

[1] An example of this is someone who leads a humble life, with sufficient wealth and sustenance, yet desires more—a better salary, house, car—unaware of the abundance of blessings already bestowed upon them. They fail to realize that if Allāh were to grant their desires, it could lead to their downfall, causing spiritual, physical, and mental harm.

The Prophet ﷺ said: “Certainly, Allāh protects His servant from the world, though he (the servant) loves it, just like you protect your ill from food and drink for fear [that it will harm] him. ” (Sahih al-Jami’ al-Saghir no. 1814).

The explanation of this hadith is explained in some other narrations and statements of the Sahābah which is that some people’s faith is not suited except for poverty and if Allāh was to grant them wealth, it would lead to their corruption whereby they fall into the temptations of life and grave sins. The opposite is also true, some people’s faith is not suited except for being wealthy and if Allāh was to make them poor, it would lead to their corruption. (See Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah’s speech in ‘Jāmiʿ al-Masāʾil, 8/249)

Another example is someone whom Allāh has blessed with a righteous wife, who may have some flaws so they wish for a seemingly ‘better’ wife, that will be more beautiful and treat him better. Yet after divorcing and marrying a new woman he finally realizes the true value of his previous wife and how much of a blessing she was.

[2] Shaytān plants the seed of doubt and discontentment, leading the person to become ungrateful, harboring dislike in their heart, and perhaps even complaining to others.