It is not Dunya, but the love of Dunya, which is reprehensible
(Part 2)
Taken from ‘Islahi Majalis’ (Vol 4), by Hadhrat Mawlana Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani (dāmat barakātuhum). Translated by Syed Ahmer and edited by Albalagh editorial team.
With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful. Praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. Blessings and peace be upon the messenger of Allah H, his family, and his companions.
The fourth person
The 4th type of person is the one who is most deprived and most at loss. He is the one who has love of Dunya in his heart, but did not manage to earn any Dunya. He has desire for Dunya, love of Dunya, lust for Dunya, but he did not manage to achieve any worldly status, accrue any wealth. He spent all his life in wishful thinking that I wish I had great wealth, had a big car, had a great mansion, but he spent all his life empty handed. He is the one about whom it has been said in the Holy Qur’an,
خَسِرَ الدُّنْيَا وَالآخِرَةَ
…He loses both this world and the Hereafter… (22:11)
It is because as a result of lusting after and craving for Dunya indiscriminately he ruined his Aakhirat, and because he did not manage to earn any Dunya, he was unable to enjoy this worldly life, and lost this Dunya too. This love of Dunya is so dangerous that we should keep fearing that it does turn us into this person who lost both this world and the Hereafter.
The story of a saint in Damascus
There was a Buzurg who used to live in Damascus, a city in Syria. He stayed in a masjid and kept reciting Allah’s Ta’ala Dhikr. People used to come to him to meet him and ask him to pray for them. Slowly this news travelled to the governor of Damascus that there is a saint who lives in this mosque who is a Waliullah, and his prayers get readily accepted. It occurred to the governor to go and see him, and ask him to pray for him. When these rulers and people in power go to these sufi saints, often their purpose is not to go there for purification of their inner-self, more often the purpose is to ask them to pray for preservation of their rule and their power.
The governor came to visit the Buzurg with his whole entourage. The Buzurg was lying down against a pillow and his legs were stretched out. When the governor came close to him, he kept lying in the same position with his legs stretched. People told him that the governor had come but he kept lying down in the same position. The governor was very surprised, as he had never experienced this before that he went to meet someone, and they did not get up to greet him and kept lying down. Anyway, the governor said salam to him and requested him to do dua for him. The Buzurg replied to his salam and did dua for him. He also gave him some advice which was about the temporariness of this life and the need to prepare for Aakhirat. The governor listened to that advice seriously and then left.
The person who extends his legs, does not extend his hand
After returning home, the governor sent a bag of ashrafi (gold coins of the time) to the Buzurg. When the person delivering the bag of ashrafi came, the Buzurg asked him why he had come. He replied that the governor had sent him this bag of ashrafi. The Buzurg told him to take it back and said to tell the governor that “the person who extends his legs, does not extend his hand.”
This act should not be followed
Let me just explain one principle related to this incident however, which is that when the governor came to visit him, the Buzurg kept lying down extending his legs and did not get up to greet him. Sometimes these sort of incidents occur as a result of divine guidance for sufi saints in specific circumstances. Therefore, these should not be followed blindly. The Sunnah of the Holy Prophet His that a person should greet every visitor with respect, regardless of whether he is a prince, or a pauper.
In a hadith, the Holy Prophet Hsaid,
أکرموا کریم کل قوم
“respect the respected person in every nation.”
It means that if a person, regardless of whichever group or nation he belongs to, holds a position of respect and honour, then you should also treat him with respect. Sometimes AwliaAllah (people close to Allah) get some divine guidance about what sort of treatment would be beneficial for a specific person under specific circumstances, and they treat him accordingly. But that action should not be followed or repeated blindly. You shouldn’t try to lie down stretching your legs when someone who holds a position of honour comes to visit you. You should follow the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet H in such instances – which is that respect everyone who holds a position of respect and honour in their group or nation.
A person’s respect should be because of his character
What the Buzurg said that “the person who stretches his legs, does not extend his hand”, means that a person should not be respected because of the wealth or the status he holds. If a person is respected, it should be because of his behaviour, his character, his Taqwa (fear of Allah), but not because of his wealth, his fame, or his worldly status. If a person does not value Dunya, then he does not respect people purely because of how much Dunya they have.
A delicate balance to strike
It is a difficult balance to strike between the two demands, that on the one hand a person truly practices the Hadith that “respect the respected person”, and on the other hand he does not get influenced or impressed by someone’s worldly wealth or status. A person can only achieve this balance by special grace from Allah Ta’ala, and through the Suhbat (companionship) of those who have themselves undergone Tazkiyah (purification of one’s inner-self).
Dunya does not carry weightage equal to even the wing of a mosquito
The Holy Prophet H said,
“If this Dunya held even as much weightage as the wing of a mosquito to Allah Ta’ala, He would not have granted a sip of water to a disbeliever.”
It means that this Dunya and all its material wealth carries no importance for Allah Ta’ala. That is why we see the disbelievers having and enjoying so much of it in this world. Because if Allah Ta’ala valued Dunya, He would not have given any of it to the disbelievers. May Allah Ta’ala help us truly understand this reality and sink it into our hearts. Aameen
Dunya is a necessity
However, Dunya or worldly possessions are a necessity. We are allowed to use and utilize Dunya when we need to. It is just like there is a toilet in every house. It is a necessity. However, no one is so preoccupied with their toilet that they keep thinking about it all the time, or keep thinking about how to decorate it better and better. It is just something that people use when it is required, but then forget about it and do not keep thinking about it at other times. Similarly, that is how a person should treat Dunya, that it is a necessity, and it needs to be used when required, but a person should not attach so much value or importance to it that he keeps thinking about it all the time and remains preoccupied with it. That is we should pray to Allah Ta’ala that “O Allah! Please grant us Dunya according to our needs, and also according to our wishes, but remove its love and importance from our hearts. Aameen.”
Imam Zuhri رحمہ اللہ and his lack of love for Dunya
Imam Zuhri (may Allah have mercy on him) was amongst the Muhaddithin (scholars of Hadith) of a very high standing. While describing his qualities, his students said that we have never seen a person who gave as little importance to Dunya as Imam Zuhri did. Allah Ta’ala had blessed him with material wealth, but his students said that that Dunya did not hold any value for him.
Further on, his students said that in his eyes Dirhams were like stool droppings of a goat, meaning Dirhams held no importance for him. If they came, well and good. If they didn’t come, he couldn’t care less. And when he did receive Dirhams, he distributed them among people to the extent that he was left empty handed.
Hadhrat Laith bin Sa’ad رحمہ اللہ and Dunya
Hadhrat Laith bin Sa’ad (may Allah have mercy on him) was also one of the Muhaddithin of great standing, and was among mujtahid Fuqaha (scholars of Islamic Jurisprudence). It has been recorded that his daily income was equal to several kilograms of gold. Allah Ta’ala had blessed him with so much wealth, but he never became Sahib-e-Nisab meaning he never reached the threshold of Zakat becoming Wajib (incumbent) upon him. This was because he had never held wealth up to the threshold of Nisab (amount of wealth on which Zakat becomes Wajib) in his possession for a whole year. Whenever he received any earning he gave it to other people, sometimes gifting it to a friend, sometimes to a family member, and sometimes to a religious scholar. These are the kind of people about whom Imam Ghazali رحمہ اللہ has said that the luckiest person on earth is the one whom Allah Ta’ala grants Dunya, but not love of Dunya.
The story of Hadhrat Mina jee Noor Muhammad رحمہ اللہ
Hadhrat Mian jee Noor Muhammad (may Allah have mercy on him) was the Shaykh of Haji Imdadullah Mahajir Makki رحمہ اللہ (who was the Shaykh of Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanavi رحمہ اللہ). People have written about him that when he went to the Bazar, he kept money in a shopping bag with him. When he bought something from a shop, he would give the bag of money to the shopkeeper and asked him to count the money for his purchase himself. It was his habit that why spend that time in counting money in which a person can say Subhan Allah or Alhamdulillah several times. Why not spend that time in Dhikr of Allah rather than counting money?
Once he was going somewhere carrying this money bag. A thief recognized that there was money in the bag. He snatched the bag from his hand and ran away. Hadhrat Mian Jee Noor Muhammad رحمہ اللہ did not even look back to find out who had snatched his purse. He just kept performing his Dhikr and walked back home.
But when people who have devoted themselves to the obedience of Allah do not take their own revenge, Allah Ta’ala takes revenge on their behalf. The thief had run away with the money purse, but he was unable to find a way out. He tried different streets but always ended up coming back to the same point. When he had spent hours trying to find a way out but was unable to do so, he finally thought that perhaps the person I had stolen the money bag from is a Waliullah. If I go back and return this bag to him and ask him for forgiveness, then maybe I will be able to get out of this maze.
So, the thief went back to Mian Jee Noor Muhammad’s house and knocked at his door. He asked him what the matter was. The thief replied, “Hadhrat, I have come to return this moneybag.” Mian Jee replied, “But I can’t take it back.” He asked why. Mian Jee replied, “when you took this moneybag from me, I had made this Halal for you (meaning he had made a Niyyat that he had gifted this moneybag to the thief so that it would become Halal for him)”. The thief begged, “Please take it back from me. I have ended up in a big trouble since taking it. I cannot find a way out of getting here.” Hadhrat Mian Jee replied, “But how can I take it back from you as it is now yours.” An argument started between the two that the thief wanted to return the moneybag, but Hadhrat Mian Jee did not want to take it. Finally the thief said, “Okay, then make a prayer for me that I find the way to get out of here.” Hadhrat Mian Jee prayed for him, and he was able to find his way out.
Pray for Dunya but do not give it an exalted status in your heart
A person should pray to Allah Ta’ala for Dunya to fulfil his needs and say, “O Allah! Please grant me enough of Dunya so that I am not dependent on anyone else for the fulfillment of my needs, and that my needs are met with safety and comfort.” In fact, I even say that pray to Allah Ta’ala for fulfilment of your permissible wishes as well. But do not develop love of Dunya in your heart. Do not become preoccupied with it. And do not give material wealth such an exalted status in your heart that you only respect and honour wealthy people, and do not honour and respect poor people. We should honour people on the basis of their Taqwa (fear of Allah) and their closeness to Allah Ta’ala, and not because of how much material wealth they possess.
A prayer of the Holy Prophet H
In a hadith, the Holy Prophet H taught us the following prayer,
اللّٰهُمَّ أَحْيِنِي مِسْكِينًا، وَأَمِتْنِي مِسْكِينًا، وَاحْشُرْنِي فِي زُمْرَةِ الْمَسَاكِينِ
“O Allah! Keep me alive in a state of being in need (of You), and grant me death in a state of being in need (of You), and make me rise in the category of those who are in need of You on the Day of Resurrection.”
This prayer tells us that the true measure of honour and respect is Deen. The way we have started respecting and honouring material wealth and the people who possess it, is wrong. We should not give preference to one person over another on the basis of their wealth. We should not seek to establish relations with people because of their wealth, and should not avoid establishing relations with people because they are poor. However, if the rich person has fear of Allah in his heart, and follows the path of Deen, then by all means establish relations with him for that reason. But do not do so because he is wealthy.
Do not spend too much time condemning Dunya
In summary, the core teaching of this saying by Hadhrat Thanavi رحمہ اللہ is that “it is not prohibited to earn Dunya. What is prohibited is love of Dunya and giving it undue importance in one’s heart.” Further, Hadhrat Thanavi said something not commonly thought about which is worth remembering. He said,
“It is prohibited to give undue importance to Dunya even if it is in the form of condemning it all the time, because if a person really gives little importance to something, he does not spend time talking about it, even to condemn it.”
It means that while it is prohibited to frequently talk about Dunya as if it is something exalted, spending too much time condemning it is also reprehensible. This is also similar to giving undue importance to Dunya, as a person does not spend too much of his time talking about something which is unimportant and insignificant in his eyes.
Dunya is not worth talking about
Dunya is not worth spending one’s time talking about. Therefore, spending too much of one’s valuable time condemning it and discussing how bad it is, is also giving it undue importance. It is because if a person does not consider something as important or significant, he does not keep talking about it. For example, dust particles are always floating in the air. Do we give any significance to them? No. If a person now starts talking about them all the time as to what kind of harms they can cause, who will consider this a wise use of one’s time? Nobody would, because they are not important enough to keep talking about all the time. So, why do you spend time condemning Dunya as to how bad it is? However, there is no harm in advising someone about the perils of engaging excessively in Dunya, as the Holy Prophet H has done it.
Do not intentionally think about sins
Wise elders have said that a person should not keep deliberately thinking about sins. Neither should he intentionally think about commiting sins, nor should he intentionally think about not committing sins, for example, he keeps deliberately thinking that I could get a bribe from such and such person, but I will not take it, or that I will get the chance to commit such and such sin on such and such occasion, but I will not do it. This is also dangerous because even if he is thinking about not committing sins, his mind is preoccupied with sins, and sometimes when his resolve is not as strong, it will lead him to getting involved in the very same sins.
Do not even look at the deceptions
In a hadith, the Holy Prophet H said that do not even peep at the deceptions that will come towards the end of days, because these deceptions will take over the person who even peeps at them. And there can be no greater trickery than a sin. If a person starts thinking too much about sins, whether because he wants to commit them or wants to stay away from them, as a result of this preoccupation these sins attract that person towards themselves. These are Satan’s tricks.
Nafs’ trick into making people commit sins
There is another way in which a person’s inner-self (Nafs) tricks him into committing sins. The Nafs says to the person that “I know you want to give up this sin, but if you don’t do it, you will keep thinking about it. So, indulge in this sin thoroughly once. Then your desire for this sin will be satiated, and it will be easier for you to give it up.” This is a great deception by Nafs because experience tells us that if you engage in a sin once, the desire for that sin does not get quenched, it is aggravated further.
The other thing is that if a person has never committed a particular sin, he has a mental barrier or block towards committing it. But when he commits it once that barrier gets lifted, and it becomes easier for him to commit it again. And if he keeps committing it repeatedly, it becomes routine and ordinary for him, and that barrier is completely demolished.
In summary, Hadhrat Thanavi رحمہ اللہ has imparted a very delicate advice in this saying that do not hold Dunya dear in your heart, and do not give it undue importance. Just like it is risky to praise Dunya too much, it is also equally risky to condemn it too much. Similarly, do not talk or think too much about sins, neither with the intention of committing a sin, nor with disdain.
May Allah Ta’ala grant us the motivation to put these teachings into practice. Aameen
و آخر دعوانا ان الحمد اللّٰہ رب العٰلمین