A. HIS APPROACH TO THE LIFE IN THIS WORLD AND THE HEREAFTER

Lamb is what makes the wolf’s mouth water most. Lamb, on the other hand, fears most from the wolf. However the strangest thing is that lamb falls in love with the wolf. A person’s love for this world is similar to this.

Abstaining from this world and everything else besides Allah (masiwa) and turning towards Him is called tabattul or wholeheartedness in the Qur’an. (al-Muzzammil 73; 8) When someone has to make a choice between this world and the Hereafter, he/she are commanded to choose the Hereafter; and those who do the opposite are strongly warned. (Ibrahim 14; 3; al-Naziat 79; 37-39) Because according to the description in the Qur’an, life in this world is nothing but deception. (Al-i Imran 3; 185) Little is the comfort of this life, as compared with the Hereafter. (al-Tawba 9; 38) The life of this world is also just simple play and amusement. (al-An’am 6; 32)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh), our most excellent exemplar, was the most ascetic human being. Even though he gained countless amounts of wealth as a result of conquests, he mostly did not have a warm cooked meal at his home for several consecutive days. Whereas, Allah the Almighty Himself gave him the authority to dispose of one fifth of war booty as he wished (al-Anfal 8; 41). For instance, it is reported that the amount of the booty from the Battle of Hunain was forty thousand sheep, twenty four thousand camels, six hundred slaves, and four hundred uqiyyahs of silver. (Ibn Sa’d, II, 152) Moreover, the Prophet (pbuh) could have lived a very comfortable life if he had chosen to especially since he received gifts sent by the rulers of neighboring countries in addition to the war booties. However, such a life did not fit into his understanding of charity and ascetic lifestyle; for he stated in one of his sayings that he did not value this world:

“What I desire is that Uhud be gold with me and three nights should pass and there is left with me any dinar but one coin which I would keep to pay my debt.” (Bukhari, Tamanna, 2) By conforming to the statements of the Qur’an, the Prophet (pbuh) even warned his wives, who had been inclined to worldly possessions, and asked them to choose either the adornments of this world or Allah and His Messenger. He then stayed away from them for a month to give them time to think. Below are the verses revealed upon this incident, which is also called “’ila”:

“O Prophet! Say to your wives: If you desire this world’s life and its adornment, then come, I will give you a provision and allow you to depart a goodly departing, but if you desire Allah and His Messenger and the abode of the Hereafter, then lo! Allah has prepared for the good among you an immense reward.” (al-Ahzab 33; 28-29) In this respect, Aisha (r.a.) reported:

“When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was commanded to give the options to his wives, he started with me by saying:

“I am going to mention to you a matter which you should not decide in haste. You can answer after you have consulted your parents.” She said that he already knew that her parents would never allow her to seek separation from him. Then he said:

“Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, said: Prophet, say to your wives: If you desire this world’s life and its adornment, then come, I will give you a provision and allow you to depart a goodly departing; and if you desire Allah and His Messenger and the abode of the Hereafter, then Allah has prepared for the doers of good among you a great reward.” She is reported to have said:

“About what should I consult my parents, for I desire Allah and His Messenger and the abode of the Hereafter?” After that Aisha (r.a.) said: Then all the wives of Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) did as I had done.” (Muslim, Talaq, 29)

Allah’s Apostle (pbuh) considered himself as a traveler in this world and he lived thinking that soon he was going to leave this place and go to his actual abode. For him this world is like a tree under whose shadow he was taking a rest during his journey. (Ibn Majah, Zuhd, 3) He was going to stay for a little under this tree and then continue on to his journey. Hence, he focused his heart on the real significant merits during his journey and taught these merits to humanity. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) lived all his life to achieve this goal. What would be the value of worldly possessions in the eyes of such a person? Of course, nothing; this is why Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) accepted the following line of poet Labid as the truest of words:

اَلاَ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ مَا خَلاَ اللهَ بَاطِلُ

“Indeed! Everything except Allah, is false.” (Bukhari, Riqaq, 29) This is why even under the hardest circumstances of the Battle of the Trench, he expressed that his choice was the eternal life of the Hereafter saying: “O Allah! There is no life worth living except the life of the Hereafter…” (Bukhari, Riqaq, 1) Again, his ascetic life can also be seen in his choice to live as a servant prophet instead of living as a king prophet.

Abu Sa’id reported that at the end of his life, Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) sat on the pulpit and said: “Allah gave a choice to His servant that he may opt the beauties of the world or that which is with Him and the servant chose that which was with Him.” (Muslim, Fadail al-Sahabah, 2) Thus, he showed that he never valued possessions of this world, and chose the Hereafter under any circumstances.

1.        The Similitude of the Life in this World

It is frequently stated in the Qur’an that the life in this world is temporary and the actual and eternal life will be in the Hereafter:

“The similitude of the life of the world is only as water which We send down from the sky, then the earth’s growth of that which men and cattle eat mingleth with it till, when the earth hath taken on her ornaments and is embellished, and her people deem that they are masters of her, Our commandment cometh by night or by day and We make it as reaped corn as if it had not flourished yesterday. Thus do We expound the revelations for people who reflect.” (Yunus 10; 24)

This verse points out that the blessings of this world may seem like adornments but in reality one can unknowingly fall into its trap. Rumi (q.s.) elegantly states this reality in the following lines:

“Worldly wealth is like the spiritual smiles of Allah. It has made us drunken, vainglorious, and threadbare deprived of the means of salvation. O honorable man! Poverty and distress are better for you; for wealth, property, and possessions set up the trap of smile and then make you fall into it.” (Mathnawi, I, verses: 3040-41)^[1]

The true face of the life of this world and its temporal ornaments is explained in another verse as follows:

“Set forth to them the similitude of the life of this world: it is like the rain which we send down from the skies: the earth’s vegetation absorbs it, but soon it becomes dry stubble, which the winds do scatter: it is (only) Allah who prevails over all things. Wealth and children are an ornament of life of the world. But the good deeds which endure are better in your Lord’s sight for reward, and better in respect of hope.” (al-Kahf 18; 45-46)

This verse attracts our attention to the importance of being cautious towards the mortal pleasures of this world and making every effort to gain the endless blessings of the Hereafter which is prepared for the believers. In this respect, Hariri states which can also be understood as an interpretation of the verse mentioned above:

“O the one who demands this lousy world! You should know that it is a death trap, and a sea of grief and anxiety. This world is such a place that makes you smile one day and makes you cry the very next day. Even if a rain cloud is seen in its skies, thirsty people do not benefit from it for it is a deception. This world’s troubles are endless. Even though those who become its slaves and sacrifice their honor and their entire wealth, they cannot escape from it. There are many people who commit all kinds of sins and are deceived by this world’s pleasures. Eventually it will turn against these people and attack them with its knife to take its revenge. Therefore be alert all your life and do not let it destroy you. You should stop loving it and cut all your ties with it so that you may attain salvation and richness of heart.” (Maqamat, p. 172)

As a matter of fact, it is not easy to not be deceived by this world and to cut the ties from it; because its love surrounds human beings from all sides. A Qur’anic verse in this respect makes the following statements:

“Fair in the eyes of men is the love of things they covet: women and sons; heaped up hoards of gold and silver; horses branded (for blood and excellence); and (wealth of) cattle and well tilled land. Such are the possessions of this world’s life; but in nearness to Allah is the best of the goals (to return to).” (Al-i Imran 3; 14)

Becoming attached to this world and inclining towards its blessings is a characteristic of human nature. Those who do not strengthen and mature themselves through spiritual training will be more susceptible by such influences. Whereas the essential thing to do is to attach the heart to Allah the Almighty and turn the blessings of this world into means to reach Allah’s contentment. Jalal al-Din Rumi (q.s.) nicely depicts this state:

“This world is like a tree, O noble ones: and we are like the half-ripened fruit upon it. The unripe fruits cling fast to the bough, because during their immaturity they are not meet for the palace. When they have ripened and have become sweet—after that, biting their lips, they take but a feeble hold of the boughs. When the mouth has been sweetened by that felicity, the kingdom of the world becomes cold unpleasing to Man. To take a tight hold and to attach one’s self strongly to the world is a sign of immaturity: as long as you are an embryo, your occupation is to suck blood and suffer.” (Mathnawi, III, verses: 1293-97)

This is why our Lord states that “Whoever desires the gain of the Hereafter, We will give him more of that gain; and whoever desires the gain of this world, We give him of it, and in the hereafter he has no portion.” (al-Shura 42; 20) and expresses that purified and disciplined souls desire the eternal blessings of the Hereafter and not the temporal wealth of this world.

Our Prophet (pbuh), who was adorned by the ethics of the Qur’an, always put the Qur’anic perception of this world and the Hereafter forward when training his companions. According to Jabir b. Abdullah’s report, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) happened to walk through a bazaar while coming from the side of ‘Aliya and there were companions with him. There he found a dead lamb with very short ears. He took hold of its ear and said:

“Who amongst you would like to have this for a dirham?”

They said: “We do not like to have it even for less than that as it is of no use to us.” He said:

“Do you wish to have it free of any cost?” They said:

“By Allah, even if it were alive we would not have liked to possess it, for there is defect in it as its ear is very short; now it is dead, too. Thereupon Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) said:

“By Allah, this world is more insignificant in the eye of Allah as this dead lamb is in your eye.” (Muslim, Zuhd, 2)

In another saying of the Prophet (pbuh), it is stated that:

“If this world had any value even as much as the wing of a mosquito, He would not even let unbelievers drink a sip of water in this world.” Thus, he pointed out how insignificant this world and its entire wealth is in the eyes of Allah the Almighty. In this saying we are also taught not to admire the worldly possessions in the hands of the unbelievers. The warning of the following verse comprises the same meaning: “Nor strain your eyes in longing for the things we have given for enjoyment to parties Of them, the splendor Of the life of this world, through which we test them: But the provision of the Lord is better and more enduring.” (Taha 20; 131) In another saying of the Prophet (pbuh), it is expressed that those who are deceived by the mortal pleasures of this world will be disappointed in the Hereafter:

“Whoever is worried about the Hereafter, Allah the Almighty places richness in his/her heart, saves his/her works from disorder and this world comes to him/her in obedience. On the other hand whoever is worried about this world, Allah the Almighty places its poverty before his/her eyes; he/she will not be able to make two ends meet; and he/she will only get whatever his/her share from this world is.” (Tirmidhi, Qiyamah, 30) Rumi (q.s.) states:

“He who lacks the love for Allah and seeks the wealth of this world is the mere picture of poverty. Such a person does not have a spiritual life. He is not worthy of Divine bounty. Do not throw bread to the picture of a dog! He wants a morsel of food, he does not want Allah. Do not set dishes before a lifeless body! The dervish that wants bread is a land-fish: he has the form of a fish, but he is fleeing from the sea. He is a domestic fowl, not the bird of Zumrudu Anka which is on the mountain of closeness to Allah. He swallows sweet morsels of food, drinks tasty sherbets but he does not eat from the morsels of Allah. He loves Allah for the sake of food and drinks. His soul is not in love with Allah’s excellence and beauty of His face.” (Mathnawi, I, verses: 2752-56)

 The following example nicely depicts the loss of those who incline towards worldly blessings and turn away from the Hereafter.

During the period of Umayyads, the Muslim army under the command of Abdurrahman b. Walid set out for an expedition to conquer Istanbul in order to attain the compliments and prophecy of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (r.a.) was in the army. While the Byzantines were fighting, an Ansari rode his horse towards them. When the believers saw this, they thought about the verse “…make not your own hands contribute to your destruction…” (al-Baqarah 2; 195) They said in amusement:

“There is no god but Allah! Look at this man! He knowingly throws himself into danger.” Upon this Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (r.a.) told them:

“O believers! (Do not misunderstand me!) This verse was revealed about the community of Ansar. When Allah the Almighty bestowed His help upon us and made us victorious, we told ourselves: “From now on we can stay with our possessions and occupy ourselves with them.” Upon this Allah the Almighty revealed the following verse to His Messenger (pbuh):

وَأَنفِقُواْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ وَلاَ تُلْقُواْ بِأَيْدِيكُمْ إِلَى التَّهْلُكَةِ وَاَحْسِنُوا اِنَّ اللهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

“And spend in the way of Allah and cast not yourselves to perdition with your own hands, and do good (to others); surely Allah loves the doers of good.” (al-Baqarah 2; 195) In this verse, what is meant by “cast not yourselves to perdition with your own hands” is that do not engross yourselves into worldly property such as looking after gardens and forget to strive in the path of Allah.”

Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (r.a.), who sincerely followed this divine admonition, never inclined to the adornments and comfort of this world. He always strived for the sake of Allah, and finally he was martyred during that expedition and buried next to the walls of Istanbul.” (Abu Dawud, Jihad, 23; Tirmidhi, Tafsir, 2)

The following is another noteworthy anecdote in this regard.

During the Battle of Uhud Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) placed a few swordsmen on a hill and ordered them not to leave their places. Unfortunately some of them disobeyed his orders, left their positions, and rushed towards the booty. Allah the Almighty warned those who left their positions by saying: “Some of you desired the world,” while praising the martyrs saying “some of you desired the Hereafter.” (Al-i Imran 3; 152)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) pointed out the attractive side of this world saying: “This world is enjoyable and its scene is pleasant.” In the rest of the tradition, he stated that the world is just a means of a test: “Allah’s Apostle ascended to the pulpit and said, “Nothing worries me as to what will happen to you after me, except the temptation of worldly blessings which will be conferred on you.” (Bukhari, Jihad, 37) In this and in other similar traditions, the Prophet (pbuh) expressed his concerns about how the Muslim ummah was going to incline towards this world in the future, forget the Hereafter, and for this reason they were going to fail the test. In fact, on the one hand, he was making the following admonitions:

“Nothing worries me as to what will happen to you after me, except the temptation of worldly blessings which will be conferred on you.” (Bukhari, Jihad, 37) On the other hand, he stated in another hadith that this world is a place where humans are being tested:

“Every nation has (is tested by) a fitnah (mischief). And my ummah’s fitnah is worldly possessions.”^[2]

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:

“Be cautious! Do not let your hopes and desires become strong and make you forget your end! Otherwise your hearts will get hardened. Be vigilant! Those which will come (i.e. death and afterlife) are soon coming…” (Ibn Majah, Muqaddimah, 7) Thus, he warned believers about the thoughts and concerns which keep the human mind busy and harden the heart.

The hopes and desires, mentioned in this hadith, infer to those which usually surround the lives of people and which make them get caught up in this world without making the necessary preparations for the Hereafter. Many people get even more attached to this world when they get older. In fact, the Prophet (pbuh) stated this issue in one of his sayings: “The heart of an old man remains young in two respects, i.e., his love for the world (its wealth, amusements and luxuries) and his incessant hope.” (Bukhari, Riqaq, 5) Ghazali expresses that ignorance and love of this world are the reasons for falling victim to one’s desires and hopes. He explains that in order to be saved from all these is to do as follows:

“Getting rid of ignorance can be achieved by listening to the words of righteous and sincere wise men. The only way to take the love of this world out of the hearts is to have faith in the Hereafter and the rewards awaiting there. When this faith reaches the level of certainty, the love for this world begins to move slowly away from the heart. Because loving the more significant one makes the less significant leave the heart.”

Allah the Almighty distributed the worldly blessings among His servants differently. Therefore, some servants are in the position of serving and others are in the position of being served. In other words, there is no equality in respect to possessing the blessings and opportunities. As a matter of fact this is stated in the Qur’an as follows:

“Is it they who apportion their Lord’s mercy? We have apportioned among them their livelihood in the life of the world, and raised some of them above others in rank that some of them may take labor from others; and the mercy of your Lord is better than (the wealth) that they amass.” (al-Zuhruf 43; 32) Allah’s Messenger talked about resigning one’s self to what is preordained as follows:

“Look at those who stand at a lower level than you but do not look at those who stand at a higher level than you, for this would make the favors conferred upon you by Allah insignificant in your eyes.” (Muslim, Zuhd, 9)

The following sayings of the Prophet (pbuh) show his perspective about this world and the Hereafter:

“Asceticism in this world means neither making the lawful unlawful nor losing the property and possessions, but it means to trust more what is in the hands of Allah than what is in your hands. And it also means that when something bad happens to you and as long as it continues, you should hope to get its rewards.” (Tirmidhi, Zuhd, 29)

“By Allah, this world (is so insignificant in comparison) to the Hereafter that if one of you should dip his finger in the ocean and then he should see as to what has stuck to it.” (Muslim, Jannah, 55)

“The damage done by two hungry wolves set loose in a herd is not bigger than the damage done by a man who loves wealth and rank to his religion.” (Tirmidhi, Zuhd, 43)

 

2.        Examples from the Companions’ Ascetic Lives

In addition to the sayings and actions of the Prophet (pbuh) about his view on this world and the Hereafter, the reports from the lives of his distinguished companions are also significant. For instance, even though he was one of the richest men in Quraish, the Prophet’s best friend, Abu Bakr, spent all his wealth for the sake of Allah and lived a very humble life. Especially in the early and the most distressed days of Islam he bought Muslim slaves, who were being oppressed, and saved them from oppression by freeing them. His wealth did not hinder his asceticism; on the contrary by properly spending his wealth, he showed us how a pious life can be observed in wealth.

The following report about Abu Bakr (r.a.) clearly shows from what perspective he was looking at this world from and how much he was affected by the Prophet (pbuh). One day he was offered honey sherbet to drink. When he was taking the glass to his mouth, he began to cry. When he was asked the reason for his tears, he replied:

“Once I was with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). Just then I saw that he was trying to send away something saying: “get away from me, get away from me.” But I could not see anything. When I asked what it was, the Prophet (pbuh) said:

“I was shown the world with its entire wealth. I told it to stay away from me. And it went away, but it said: “By Allah even if you escape from me, those who will come after you will not be able to escape.”” Abu Bakr (r.a.) continued his words saying: “I got scared of getting too attached to this world and that is why I began to cry.” (Abu Nuaym, I, 30-31)

Umar (r.a.) is also known for his extreme ascetic life. It is reported that during the years of his caliphate, Umar (r.a) gave sermons in a shirt which was patched in twelve different places. When his daughter Hafsa proposed that he wear some soft clothes and eat nice food, he talked to her about the Prophet’s difficulties about sustenance and said:

“By Allah! If I can manage, I will follow the Messenger of Allah and Abu Bakr and live as they lived. Maybe in this way I, too, can reach the wonderful place they have reached in the Hereafter.” (Ibn Hanbal, Zuhd, p. 125) As Yunuf Emre once said, “fleeing from this world is the most important act of worship.”

Even though it is possible to find traces of the Prophet’s ascetic life in all the companions, Abu Dhar (r.a.) is certainly one to come to mind; because Allah’s Messenger praised him saying: “whoever wants to see someone with little inclination to this world should look at Abu Dhar.” (Ibn Hanbal, Zuhd, p. 147) He became the representative of asceticism and piety until the end of his life. Even though 4000 dinar stipend was assigned for Abu Dhar Ghifari (r.a.), he used very little of this amount and donated the rest to the needy. (Abu Nuaym, I, 163) This companion, who said that in the Hereafter the questioning of the one who has two dirhams will be heavier than the one who has only one dirham. He once sent back three hundred dinars, which was sent by the governor of Damascus saying: “Could not he find anybody else needier than me? I have a place to live, some sheep to get benefit, and a servant who helps in my work. I fear to have more than these.” (Ibn Hanbal, Zuhd, p. 147)

From the contents of the verses and sayings of the Prophet (pbuh) or from the practice in this regard, it should not be concluded that this world and its blessings are things to be decried in an absolute sense. The practice and texts can be better understood under the light of other verses and traditions. Otherwise making mistakes is inevitable. There is a neutral approach towards this world in about sixty verses in the Qur’an; and in about fifty verses there is a negative approach; and in seven verses there is a positive approach. While this world is decried in some Qur’anic verses, what is condemned in these verses is not the world in its cosmic essence but the view of life which neglects the Hereafter. In the Qur’an the world appears in the Qur’an as a religious and ethical term, and the term “ard or earth” is used for its geographical meaning. According to the Qur’an, busying oneself with worldly life which does not hinder deeds for the Hereafter is not just something lawful but also brings happiness.

Since this world is the first station on the way to the Hereafter, a balance needs to be established between them. When people get ready for the Hereafter, they should also know how to benefit from the blessings of this world as it is pointed out in the verse: “…and neglect not thy portion of the world…” (al-Qasas 28; 77). Here, the important issue is not to get attached to the pleasures of this world and forget the Hereafter, but rather to use this world as a means for the Hereafter without letting it into the hearts. Rumi (q.s.) elegantly explains how the blessings of this world should be used:

“Water in the boat is the ruin of the boat, but water underneath the boat is a support. … A bagpipe with a closed lid floated on the deep and endless water because it was filled with air. When the wind of poverty is within anyone, he rests at peace on the surface of the water of the world; although the whole of this world is his kingdom, in the eye of his heart the kingdom is nothing. Therefore fill your heart with the air of loftiness of “min ladun,”^[3] and fill and seal the mouth of your heart.” (Mathnawi, I, verses: 985-990)

On the other hand, the Prophet (pbuh) ordered that those who turn completely away from this world and try to live like priests to maintain a balanced life as follows: “Your Lord has a right on you, your soul has a right on you, and your family has a right on you; so you should give the rights of all those who has a right on you.” (Bukhari, Sawm, 51, 55) He also said that even though he was the most God-fearing believer, he refused priesthood in Islam. He did not even approve abandoning this world completely and he encouraged to always be in service by saying: “Priesthood in Islam is to strive for the sake of Allah.” (Ibn Hanbal, III, 266) In addition, the Prophet’s (pbuh) advice to Ka’b b. Malik to: “Keep some of your wealth for yourself, which is better for you” and to Sa’d b. Abi Waqqas as follows: “It is better for you to leave your inheritors wealthy than to leave them poor begging from others.” (Bukhari, Wasaya, 2) are both the result of the same reason.

We also need to thoroughly understand the wisdom behind the reason to why the Prophet chose a simple life and even a life in poverty. First of all, Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) opted for poverty in his personal life and spent generously everything he owned for the sake of his mission and for the welfare of his ummah. Moreover, his ascetic life has become an example for both the rich and the poor members of Muslim society. The affluent ones can learn how to follow an ascetic life in wealth from him; while the needy ones learn how to be patient against hardships and privation. Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) warned his followers by saying, “the poverty causing forgetfulness along with depraving richness” (Tirmidhi, Zuhd, 3) and “Being wealthy does not mean, having a great amount of property, but it is self-contentment” (Bukhari, Riqaq, 15). Furthermore, in his prayers he would say, “I take refuge in Allah from the mischief of wealth and poverty” which show us that wealth and poverty are not good or bad in an absolute sense. In other words, these two facts should be assessed in relation to the person’s situation. Throughout Islamic history, both the patient poor and the grateful rich have been praised and they have become the theme of many exemplary anecdotes.