When the servant observes that his own sins are the cause of whatever harm befalls him from the dislikeable matters, he will refrain from blaming them, criticizing them and reviling them. This is due to him being preoccupied with making repentance and seeking forgiveness for those sins on account of which He [Allāh] unleashed them [the people] upon him. When you see a servant reviling the people when they harm him and he does not return to his own soul with blame and does not return to seeking FORGIVENESS, then know that this calamity is a true and real calamity. But when he repents and seeks forgiveness and says:
“This is in account of my sins,”
The calamity will become a bounty for him.
Book: A Principle Regarding Patience and Gratitude By Shaykh al-Islam ibn Taymiyyah Translated by Abu Iyaad Amjad Rafīq Hikmah Publications P. 23
