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It is related in the traditions that Moses, peace be upon him, said: 'O my God, guide me to a deed which, when I perform it, You will be pleased with me.' He said: 'You cannot bear that, O Moses.' So Moses, peace be upon him, fell down prostrate, imploring. Then God revealed to him: 'O son of Imran, My pleasure lies in your being content with My decree.' 'O Lord, guide me to a deed which, when I do it, You will become pleased with me.' God, mighty and glorious, said: 'You cannot do that.' Moses, peace be upon him, prostrated and implored. God, the Exalted, sent revelation to him: 'O son of Imran, My contentment and pleasure with you lies in your contentment with My decree.' That is, when a servant is content with the decrees of the Truth, it is a sign that God, the Exalted, is content with him. Bishr al-Hafi asked Fudayl ibn Iyad, may God be pleased with them both: 'Which is more excellent, asceticism (zuhd) or contentment (riza)?' Fudayl said: 'Contentment is more excellent than asceticism, because the contented one does not desire above his station.' Contentment is more excellent than asceticism; because the contented one has no desire, whereas the ascetic is a possessor of desire; that is, above the station of asceticism there is another station which the ascetic desires, whereas above contentment there is no station for the contented one to desire. Thus the inner court is more excellent than the outer threshold. And this anecdote is a proof of the soundness of the saying of al-Muhasibi, that contentment is among the states (ahwal) and among the gifts of the Lord of Majesty, not among the acquisitions and contrivances of the servant. It also allows that the contented one has no desire, and from the Prophet, peace be upon him, it comes in his supplications: 'I ask You for contentment after the decree.' O Lord, I ask of You that You keep me content after the decree comes to me; that is, keep me in such a quality that when Your ordained decree comes to me, it finds me content with its arrival. Here it is established that contentment before the coming of the decree is not sound; because that would be a resolve upon contentment, and the resolve of contentment is not the very essence of contentment. And Abu al-Abbas ibn Ata, may God be pleased with him, says: 'Contentment is the heart's gaze upon God's eternal choice for the servant.' Contentment is the heart's gaze upon the eternal choice of God for the servant; that is, whatever reaches him, he knows that this has an eternal will and a preceding decree upon him, so he is not agitated and remains joyful. And Harith al-Muhasibi, the founder of the school, may God be pleased with him, says: 'Contentment is the stillness of the heart under the flowing of the decrees.' Contentment is the stillness of the heart under the flowing of the decrees, whatever they may be. And in this his school is strong; because the stillness and tranquility of the heart is not among the servant's acquisitions, for it is among the gifts of God, may His majesty be glorified, and this proves that contentment is among the states, not among the stations (maqam). They say that Utba al-Ghulam did not sleep one night and until morning kept saying: 'If You torment me, I am Your lover, and if You have mercy on me, I am Your lover.' If You torment me in hell I am Your friend, and if You show me mercy I am Your friend; that is, the pain of torment and the pleasure of blessing are upon the body, and the dawning of love is in the heart, and this does not contradict that. And this saying confirms the saying of al-Muhasibi, that contentment is the fruit of love; for the lover is content with whatever the beloved does. If he keeps him in torment, he is joyful with love, and if he is in blessing, he is not veiled from love, and he surrenders his own choice before the choice of the Truth. Abu Uthman al-Hiri, may God be pleased with him, says: 'For forty years God has not placed me in any state that I disliked, nor moved me to another state with which I was displeased.' For forty years God, the Exalted, has kept me in no state in which I was reluctant, nor moved me from one state to another in which I was displeased. And this is an indication of the permanence of contentment and the perfection of love. And in the anecdotes it is famous that: a dervish was caught in the Tigris and did not know how to swim. Someone said from the bank: 'Do you wish that I inform someone to pull you out?' He said: 'No.' He said: 'Do you wish to drown?' He said: 'No.' He said: 'Then what do you wish?' He said: 'What the Truth wishes. What business have I with wishing?' And the masters, may God be pleased with them, have much to say concerning contentment with differing expressions; but the foundation is these two principles that I have mentioned, and to avoid prolixity I have abbreviated to this. But here I must speak of the distinction between station (maqam) and states (ahwal) and set out their definitions, so that the perception of these meanings may become easier for you and the readers of the book, and that they may know this definition, God willing.