Do Not Ask for Difficulties
About his youth, Shah Baha’ ad-Din Muhammad an-Naqshband said, “I would arise early, three hours before fajr prayer, take ablution, and after performing sunnah prayers, I would go into prostration, supplicating Allah with the following prayer: ‘O my Lord, Give me the strength to carry the difficulties and the pain of Your Love.’ Then I would pray fajr with the shaykh .” His shaykh then was Shaykh Muhammad Baba as-Samasi. “On his way out one day, he looked at me and said, as if he had been with me when I made that supplication, ‘O my son, you have to change the method of your supplication. Instead, say, ‘O Allah, Grant Your Pleasure to this weak servant.’ Allah does not like His servants to be in difficulties. Although Allah in His Wisdom might Give some difficulties to His servants to Test them, the servant must not ask to be in difficulties. This would not be respectful to your Lord.’” This account comes from the manaqib , the hagiographic tradit...