Remove unnecessary stuff from your home

Taken from ‘Islahi Majalis’ (Vol 5), by Hadhrat Mawlana Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani (damat barakatuhum). 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, his family, and his companions.

Continuing with the topic of protecting oneself from Israaf (wasteful spending), Hadhrat Thanavi V said,

“Review all your possessions at home. Keep all the possessions that you use, but get rid of all the stuff that you do not use. Either sell them, or give them to needy people. If you do not find yourself to give them away as voluntary Sadaqah, give them in Zakat.”

This advice means that hoarding things at home unnecessarily is also included in Israaf. Keep everything that you use and you need. But if there are items at home that you never use, then either give them away as Sadaqah, or sell them and use the money to fulfil your needs. But it is not sensible to keep accumulating items at home that you never use and are not getting any benefit out of. This is wastage. Therefore, everyone should review all items in their possession on a regular basis – that they are not accumulating unnecessary items at home over time.

Every person’s needs are different

However, everyone’s needs are different. How much possessions a person ‘needs’, and what is beyond somebody’s needs, varies according to the time and place they live in.  Even amongst people living within the same time and place, different individual’s circumstances are different. Once my Shaykh Hadhrat Maulana Maseehullah Khan sahib (may Allah have mercy on him) elaborated upon this in a bit of detail. He explained that the standard of ‘need’ is different for every individual. One person is not very social and does not get many visitors or guests. For him, having one bowl, one plate, and one cup at home may be sufficient. He may need just one bed in his home. Another person may have lots of acquaintances and may be having lots of visitors or guests at home. For him, having ten plates and bowls at home may still be insufficient. He may need to keep ten mattresses at home to accommodate his guests. Therefore, this standard of how much a person ‘needs’ is not fixed, it depends on that particular individual’s circumstances.

Too many possessions create distraction

So, considering your own circumstances, look at whether you have any items in your possession that are unnecessary, and that you never use. If there are such items in your possession, get rid of them. Why do you create distractions for yourself and your family members, because the more possessions a person has, the more he gets distracted from his true and primary purpose. It is because his mind keeps turning towards this thing or that.

The story of Khawaja Fareed Uddin Attaar V

Khawaja Fareed Uddin Attaar (may Allah have mercy on him) was one of the Awlia of Allah (very pious people) of a very exalted status. Initially, he was a trader. He was not very religious and did not engage in much Nafl Ibadaat. He was a trader, and was an Attaar by profession, meaning he used to sell fragrances and traditional medicines. One day he was sitting in his shop when a person looking like a Majzoob came. He started looking everywhere in the shop, sometimes here, sometimes there, sometimes on this side, and sometimes on that side.

Shaykh Fareed asked him what he was doing. He replied that he was just looking. Shaykh Fareed asked him if he wanted to buy something. He replied that he did not want to buy anything, he was just looking at the bottles. Shaykh Fareed asked, “Why are you looking at the bottles?” He replied, “The truth is that, looking at all these bottles, I am wondering how would your soul escape from all these bottles? Sometimes it will go into this bottle, and sometimes that bottle. So, it will be difficult for your soul to leave. That is why I am looking at all these bottles.”

Shaykh Attaar V felt angry as to why this person was curious about how his soul will leave his body. He replied, “My soul will leave my body just as your soul will leave your body. How will your soul leave your body?” The Majzoob replied, “My soul will leave my body like this.” Then he recited the kalimah (“La Ilaha Illallah Muhammad ur-Rasool Allah”), lay down on the ground, covered himself with a sheet, and when people checked a few minutes later, he had passed away.

This was just Allah’s way of providing guidance to Shaykh Fareed Uddin Attaar V. Seeing the Majzoob depart so easily from this mortal world, it hurt him that the Majzoob had given him very sage advice that his soul was so caught up in trappings of this material world such as his bottles of fragrances and medicines that it would not be easy for him to leave this material world behind. Allah Ta’ala then inspired him to repent sincerely. Through his dedicated service to Allah’s Deen, he attained such a high status that he is now counted among the most noble Sufi saints.

Having fewer possessions makes a person carefree

The more possessions a person has, the more preoccupied he remains with them, and the more worried he becomes. The fewer possessions a person has, the more carefree and relaxed he remains. There is a piece of Persian poetry which means that “if a person has only a few items in his possession, then he has few worries. He neither fears a thief, nor a robber.” Therefore, the way of moderation is that a person keeps only those items in his possession which are of use to him. If he ends up accumulating stuff that was of use, or could have been of use, at one time, but is highly unlikely to be useful again because of change in circumstances, for example, children growing up, he should get rid of that extra stuff. The best way of getting rid of it would be to give it as Sadaqah to a deserving person. If he is unable to do that, he should sell it and then use the money either for his own benefit or to help Allah Ta’ala’s servants.

Selling unnecessary stuff

In some homes, people keep gathering useless material e.g. old newspapers, used bottles, etc., and then sell the whole lot. Some people think that it is miserliness, but it is not. The advice Hadhrat Thanavi V is giving in this quote is that rather than just hoarding useless items at home, bring it to use in some way. If you can’t use it, and can’t give it to someone else, then sell it. Whatever amount of money you get as a result of selling them is a blessing from Allah Ta’ala. You can then choose whether to use that money yourself, or give it to a deserving person.

Learning how to sweep the table cloth

My esteemed father Hadhrat Maulana Mufti Muhammad Shafi V used to tell me a story of one of his teachers Hadhrat Maulana Syed Asghar Hussain (may Allah have mercy on him). He was one of the very revered teachers of Darul Uloom Deoband, and was one of the great sufis of the time. My father was once visiting him at his home. When it was time for a meal, Hadhrat Mian Sahib invited him to eat with him. After eating, I started picking up the tablecloth to sweep it and throw any remaining food particles on it outside. Hadhrat Mian sahib asked, “What are you doing?” I replied, “Hadhrat, I am picking up the tablecloth to sweep it outside.” He asked, “Do you know how to sweep a tablecloth?” I asked, “Hadhrat, is this a skill that one has to learn?” He replied, “Yes. That is why I am saying you do not know how to sweep a tablecloth. It is a skill.” I asked, “Hadhrat. Then teach me this skill too.”

Every bit of Rizq (sustenance) is a blessing from Allah Ta’ala

Then Hadhrat Mian sahib V said, “Come. I will teach you.” Then he separated every type of leftover food on the tablecloth. He gathered bone pieces separately, left over boneless meat pieces separately, and bread pieces separately. Then he said, “There is a designated place for each of these leftover food items. I put the bone pieces in this place. The dog knows that the bones will be there, so it comes and takes the bones from there. I leave the uneaten meat pieces here. There is a cat who knows where these meat pieces are left, so it comes and eats them there. I put bread pieces in this place on the wall, so the birds come and eat it from there. And I put this bread powder in this anthill, so the ants can eat it.”

Then Hadhrat Mian sahib said, “every bit of this leftover food is a blessing from Allah Ta’ala, so none of it should go to waste.”

Wastage in today’s feasts

If we look at our feasts today, we will realize how much food goes to waste. There are so many people in the world today, including children, who are dying of hunger. Millions upon millions lack a proper meal and are barely surviving. Yet at the same time, we waste enormous quantities of food in our feasts. May Allah Ta’ala forgive us. This is because we do not truly appreciate the blessings He has bestowed upon us. We have not learned the proper way to utilize His blessings without waste — nor how to pass them on to someone in need when we ourselves do not require them.

Nothing is totally useless

Allama Iqbal has written a poem for children. My esteemed father was especially fond of its last verse,

نہیں ہے چیز نکمّی کوئی زمانے میں
کوئی برا نہیں قدرت کے  کارخانے میں

It means that nothing is totally useless in this world, and no one is absolutely evil. Whatever Allah Ta’ala has created in this world, He has done so out of His infinite wisdom and for a good reason. Do not consider it useless or worthless, do not look down upon it, and use it in its proper place.

Remove rotting items from your possession

Anyway, start acting on it today – to look at all your possessions at home, and remove the ones which are not serving any purpose. When you do this with the intention that this is also a part of Deen, you will Insha’Allah get thawab and eternal reward for it.

In the next statement, Hadhrat Thanavi V gives a similar advice,

“Periodically review all your possessions at home. You will likely find things that are rotting or infested with termites. Remove such items so that your home becomes more pleasant.”

If you remove items from your home that are just lying around unused or are rotting away, there will be two advantages. The first is that they are also blessings of Allah Ta’ala upon us. They may not be useful to us, but they may be useful to someone else. By giving them away to deserving people, they will bring benefit to them. The second reason is that if we keep hoarding unused stuff at home, it creates unnecessary clutter and untidiness. By removing these unused items, our home will look more pleasant and will also be cleaner. This is all part of Deen, while many people mistakenly believe that this is just Dunya (worldly matters).

A Muslim is a Muslim everywhere

Hadhrat Thanavi V used to say that if someone wants to become a sufi or a saint, he should go elsewhere. There are many (khanqah) seminaries open for that purpose. Only if someone wants to become a good human being, then he should come here (to his khanqah). Here people are taught how to become a good human being.

A true Muslim is not one who is only a Muslim when sitting on a prayer mat in the mosque, and as soon as he leaves the mosque, he behaves as if the rules of Islam do not apply to him anymore. If a person is a true Muslim, he is a Muslim inside the mosque, he is a Muslim outside the mosque, he is a Muslim in the Bazaar (market), he is a Muslim in his office, and he is a Muslim when inside his home. He is a Muslim everywhere, and not just in the mosque. These are teachings of Deen which apply to every sphere of life. We should try to learn and practice them.

Think before you do anything

Further on, Hadhrat Thanavi V said,

“in your day to day life, make a rule that whatever you want to do, think about it before you do it. Do not act upon it without reflection.”

One way to protect oneself from Israaf (wasteful spending) is to think carefully before buying anything. When a person has a spendthrift tendency, they buy things on impulse without considering whether they truly need the item. That is why, try to develop a habit of thinking carefully before you buy anything. Do you really need what you are thinking of buying, or not? Whether it is going to be genuinely useful for you, or not? Acting without thinking is negligence and carelessness, and as a result of this carelessness a person wastes both his time and his money.

Do what makes sense to you

The last advice Hadhrat Thanavi V gave in this conversation is that,

“Do not do something just because somebody else tells you to do it. Follow your own considered opinion.”

What he meant was that do not be influenced unduly by public opinion. People offer a lot of opinions based on the current customs, traditions, or the latest fashion, that you should do things this way or that way. Listen to what they are saying, but do not always follow their opinion. Rather, do what your mind tells you is the right thing to do. If someone ridicules you for it, someone taunts you for not following the current trends, so be it. You should make your best effort to find out what course of action will please Allah Ta’ala, and then follow it.

Listening to one’s elders

However, this advice doesn’t include not listening to one’s elders – for example, if a father gives an advice to his child, a teacher to his pupil, a Shaykh to his mureed, then this advice is not applicable in those situations.  In those situations, the rule is that you should listen to your elders. It is not befitting to follow your own opinion then. In such circumstances, ignoring your elders’ opinions, and following your own, leads to disasters. Therefore, before you enter into a student/teacher, or mentor/mentee relationship with someone, first consider whether they meet the criteria for becoming your mentor. Is their opinion and expertise trustworthy? Is their integrity trustworthy? Is this person sincere to me? Once you have reached the conclusion that this person is sincere to me, he is honest and has great integrity, and his opinion is based on wisdom, then become his student or mentee, and obey his advice.

What really matters is what Allah Ta’ala will say

What Hadhrat Thanavi V is referring to here is related to doing things under the influence of peer or social pressure, or under the influence of public opinion. For example, a person thinks that if I do this or don’t do this, what are people going to say. How am I going to face everyone? What does it matter what people say? What does it matter if they criticize or speak ill of you, as long as you are obeying what Allah Ta’ala has commanded? They might say you are old-fashioned. So what? What they say will disappear in ether and does not affect you. What really matters is what Allah Ta’ala is going to say. That is what we should be worrying about.

Concern yourself with what Allah Ta’ala will say

When a person stops caring about what people say and becomes preoccupied only with what Allah Ta’ala will say about him and how to make Allah Ta’ala happy, then the same public begins to respect him, and Dunya (the material world) follows him. It is the nature of this Dunya that if you run after it, it will run away from you, and if you run away from it, it will run after you.

You can never stop everyone from criticizing you

Whatever you do to please people, someone will always find something to criticize you about. You can never stop everyone from criticizing you. That is why Hadhrat Thanavi V says: do not act under the pressure of people’s opinions. Instead, follow your own sincere judgment — do what you believe will please Allah Ta’ala. Then do not worry about what people say. If they say something unpleasant, just ignore it.

May Allah Ta’ala enable us all to practice these teachings of Deen in our everyday lives. Aameen

و آخر دعوانا ان الحمداللّٰہ رب العٰلمین

(Al-Balagh International | Muharram – 1448)