Know that a servant is in one of four states. There’s no fifth. The servant is either in a state of blessing, tribulation, obedience, or disobedience.

If you are in a state of blessing, what you should do is be grateful.

If you are in a state of tribulation, what you should do is be patient.

If you are in a state of obedience, what you should do is see it as a blessing from Allah that you don’t deserve.

If you are in a state of disobedience, then what you should do is to repent.

(Abu Abbas al-Mursi’s advice to his student, Imam ibn Ata’illa, when he came to him over something that was troubling and saddened him)